Beyond the Mask
by BrookeErinMelton
Summary: "I never feared death, I hardly even thought about dying but who does? I lived a simple life, always keeping my head down, staying away from crowds. All that changed one night… I changed. I began someone else, something else. To me, revenge is the best kind of redemption. The night I died, I was reborn and realized… I had to die, in order to really live." Full summary inside.
1. Prologue

**Summary: **

"I never feared death. I hardly even thought about dying, but who does...? I always lived a very simple life, staying towards the back of the crowd, always keeping my head down when I walked or hidden behind a book... but after one complicated night, it all came to a sudden end. That night changed my life forever, but I won't complain. I'm better now. I'm faster, stronger and I will no longer be pushed around by anyone. I don't abide by people's rules, I make my own. If people choose to break them- well that's the beauty of karma. I also have abilities that people can only dream about. But does that make what they did to me okay? No. And it definitely wouldn't stop me from getting even. To me, revenge is the best kind of redemption. The night I died, I woke up as something completely different, I was reborn, and since then I've realized something. I had to die... in order to really live."

* * *

**Beyond the Mask**

**Prologue**

"So what are you wearing tonight?" The brunette asked, looking to the strawberry blonde sitting in front her.

"I don't know, why? What's happening tonight?" She asked not even looking up from her book, her sister sighed.

"You forgot?" She asked but didn't seem so surprise. "Lizzie" Her sister said, drawing her sister's attention from the novel.

"What, Laura?" She asked annoyed that her sister was interrupting her reading time. She was always interrupting her reading time.

"Dinner tonight... with Charles..." Laura started to explain slowly, "It's your anniversary" She added causing Lizzie to close her eyes briefly and groaned.

"Oh crap" She muttered, "I completely forgot." She stated the obvious. "What am I going to wear?"

"Well did he say where you two were going?" Laura asked in which Lizzie responded by shaking her head.

"No, but knowing Charles, it'll be somewhere classy and expensive. As always" She said tiredly, it wasn't that she didn't like all those nice places but sometimes she felt out of place. She wasn't rich so she didn't fit in with the crowd. She wasn't a billionaire like everyone else, she barely had fifty dollars to her name.

"He's willing to pay a lot of money for you... I'd be grateful." Laura said, but of course that was her opinion. She had only turned twenty a month ago, in her mind a man that was rich and wanted to spend money on you was a keeper. Elizabeth on the other hand, just wanted someone to like the real her. Someone she could felt comfortable with, someone she could trust.

"I don't care about the money." Elizabeth said closing her book, laying it on the table then pushing her glasses further up her nose when they fell. "I never did."

"Then what's wrong?" Laura asked

"It's just... I don't know if Charles'... the one for me" Elizabeth said, her sister furrowed her eyebrows. "Or, I'm not the one for him." Lizzie added

"What would make you think that?" Her sister asked.

"I don't know... it's just we're so... different from each other. We have different interests." She explained

"So? That's not a bad thing. Maybe ya'll are the opposite of each other and that's what makes ya'll such a great couple. You know, you complete each other."

Elizabeth snickered at her little sister. "Yeah, I don't think that's it." She said

"Well, how do you feel about him?" Laura asked, trying to sound more like her sister, more mature if you will.

"I like him...?" She said unsure, "I just- I just figure by the time I got to this point, I wouldn't have to question my feelings." She explained.

"But...?"

Elizabeth sighed, "I'm not sure I want to be in this relationship anymore."

Laura stared at her sister, with a worried look, "Okay... what's really going on? What happened?"

"Nothing, it's just- he's been asking really weird lately. Always on edge, like he's expecting something."

"Really...?" Laura said then smiled, "Maybe he'll pop the question tonight" She added

Lizzie looked at her silly, "No... I doubt it. We've only been dating a little over a year."

"Two years" Laura corrected

"No, we've known each other for two years, we've only been dating for one and besides like I said, we're in two places right now. He's living in mansions drinking champagne and I'm leaving in an old house, with only milk to drink." She commented

"What's wrong with milk?" Laura asked, like she was hurt.

"I'm lactose, remember?" She said, "One of many things that's wrong with me."

"See this is your problem." Laura said, "You're too negative about yourself all the time. If you truly didn't care about how different you both live, dress and act, you wouldn't be worrying so much." When Lizzie said nothing, her sister moved from the chair and sat next to her. "There is nothing wrong with you." She said trying comforting Lizzie.

"As the older sister, shouldn't I be telling you that?" Lizzie asked, glancing at her.

"Probably, but in this case, I'm not the damaged one." Liz gasped at her sister's remarked and pinched her on the arm for payback. Laura complied by repeating the same action on her sister, causing Liz to gasp. After a moment, they both just stared laughing.

"Hey" Liz said suddenly remembering something. "You said that Charles and I live, dress and act differently. But I never mentioned how different we dressed." She pointed out and her sister got quiet, avoiding eye contact. "What?" She asked, "What's wrong with my clothing?" Lizzie asked

"Nothing" Laura said, "It's just you dress like... well you don't dress like a girl." Laura said causing Elizabeth to stare at her, mouth wide open.

"Yes, I do" She said defensively.

"Not really... I mean all you wear t-shirts and jeans with converse or those ugly-ass sneakers/wedges or whatever those things are." She said, with a small shiver as if the shoes were a disgrace.

"There sneakers and there comfortable, besides it's not like I'm going anywhere. I don't have to dress-to-impress." She explained.

"Wait, you don't feel like you need to dress up for anyone? Even Charles...?" Lizzie just shrugged her shoulders at her sister's question.

"Not really." She replied casually

Laura frowned, "Well, tonight you are." She said, Lizzie arched an eyebrow "I'm going to help you get ready" Lizzie immediately began shaking her head but Laura ignore. "And I'm not taking no for an answer, now come on." She said pulling Liz off the coach and walked down the hallway.

"Why are we going to your room?" Liz asked as they both entered Laura's room.

"Because last I checked, you didn't own a dress." Laura stated opening her closet and Lizzie didn't say anything in return, after all Laura was right. Lizzie didn't own a dress; she wore only jeans and shorts. Never would you see her in a dress or skirt, or even a pair of heels. 'Maybe I don't dress like a girl...' Liz thought as she sat on the edge of Laura's bed, watching her looking through her dresses.

"What about this one?" Laura said holding out a pink cocktail dress that would probably only cover one-third of Lizzie's thighs.

"No pink, what so ever" Lizzie stated, looking at her like she was crazy. Laura huffed at her sister but carried on looking threw her closet.

/\_◊_/\

"This may sound strange but..." Laura said, looking at her sister as Lizzie turned slowly studied herself in the mirror. "You look hot, sis."

Lizzie gaped at her younger sister. "Did you just call me hot?" She asked

"I said it might sound strange." Laura pointed out, "But it's true, Charles is not going to be able to keep his hands off you." She said proudly. Lizzie gave a nervous smile. She was excited but terrified at the same time. She bit her lip looking over the outfit one more time, unsure. Her sister had a picked a black dress that had a small opening over Lizzie's midriff, revealing what she thought was too much skin. The sleeves were a clear through type material and the rest of the dress hung to Lizzie's every curve.

"I don't know" She muttered

Her sister mouth practically dropped, "What? You look great, what is wrong now?"

"I just... it's weird. I never wear dresses and if I dress like this tonight, I'll have to dress like this every time he takes me out." Laura shrugged, not understanding what was wrong. "I don't want to dress like this every time." Lizzie snapped

"Oh well" Laura snapped back, she wasn't going to let her sister's stubbornness overrule her. "You're wearing the dress. I think-no, wait- I know it's time for you to have your night. To feel special... to feel beautiful because you are beautiful" Laura said wrapping her arms around her sister and hugging her from the side. They looked at each other in the mirror; Lizzie gave a small smile and sighed.

"Okay, fine" She surrendered. "I'll wear the damn dress" She stated, tiredly.

Laura quickly jumped up in excited me with a huge smile. "That's great" She said but when she paused, Lizzie looked at her suspiciously.

"But...?" Lizzie said

"But" Laura repeated, "The glasses have to go." She stated calmly.

"What? No, no. I can't see without my glasses. You know I'm as blind as a bat without them"

"That's what contacts are for." She replied wittingly, Lizzie rolled her eyes. "Now give me the glasses" She said, holding her hand out. With a tired sigh, knowing there was no point in fighting; Lizzie pulled off her glasses, folded them then handed to her sister. "Thank you. Now you wait right there and I'll get your contacts." She said before leaving the room, "Don't move." She hollered when she entered the bathroom

"Like I have a choice" Lizzie retorted glancing around, even though it was pointless. Everything was fuzzy, but because she knew the layout of her sister's bedroom she was able to move around, finding the bed. She sat down and waited patiently for her sister to return.

"Found them!" Laura shouted then walked into her bedroom, heading straight to her sister. "Do you want me to put them in or...?"

"No, I can do it" Lizzie said, taking the container, taking out the soft lenses and placed them carefully in each eye, one at a time. She closed her eyes briefly adjusting to the feeling, the opened them, blinking a couple times before looking around. The feeling of lenses on her eyes felt weird but she adapted quickly. Lizzie had to admit, using lenses was easier but she preferred her glasses. She felt as if she could hide behind her glasses whenever she was nervous or scare, or was just being her normal shy self.

Laura walked over to her closet, digging through several boxes until grabbing one and handing it to Lizzie. "Wear these; they go with the outfit perfectly." She said, but when Lizzie opens the box her eyes widened.

"I can't wear these, there at least 6 inches." She exclaimed.

"Five inches" Laura corrected, "And what's the worst that could happen?" Laura said, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'll fall?" Lizzie offered, "I could slip on something, hit the ground, injure myself, not to mention embarrass myself." Laura just rolled her eyes at her sister's silliness.

She placed her hands on her sister's legs and looked her deep in the eyes. "You. Will. Be. Fine." She said, slowly and reassuring.

"Say that as many times as you want, it won't make me feel any better." Lizzie said with her usually stubborn.

Her sister groaned loudly, balling her fists, not that she would actually hit her sister but she wanted it to be clear how annoyed she was right now.

Interrupting them, the doorbell rang. Inhaling nervously, Lizzie eyes widen, knowing it had to be Charles.

Laura released her fists and gave a smile. "I'm going to answer the door, put on the shoes." She said nicely but Lizzie knew it wasn't an option.

As her sister left the room, Elizabeth looked at the heels for a moment before slipping them off, against her will. As she stood up, she held her arms out slightly for balance. As she walked a few steps, she let her arms drop to the side. She walked up and down the room, getting used to the new height. She tripped twice but after a few more paces, she managed to get the hang of it. She looked down at the shoes, and thought 'I guess there not that bad'. She kind of liked the look, a pair of red velvet Platform Peep-Toe Pumps. Definitely not her usual wear but then again, nothing she was wearing, was her usual wear.

In the next room, Laura opened the door, revealing a clean shaved man who was dressed in a fine grey suit.

"Hello, Laura." He said to the brunette, nicely.

"Hi, Charles, come on in. Lizzie will out in a minute." She said, stepping aside to allow him room to walk in. Shutting the door, she yelled. "Lizzie, Charles' here!"

"Just a minute" Lizzie replied from the back room, she had been adding the finishing touches to her hair and makeup. And even though she wasn't a big fan of what she was wearing, she had to admit she kind of liked how it looked. It was different, a good different but she wasn't going to make it a habit. Even though she was growing used to the heels and dress, she missed her jeans and flats.

Taking a deep breath, she flicked off the bathroom light, grabbed her clutch and began walking towards the living room.

While Charles and Laura waited, she couldn't help but mention her sister's new look, "You'll be so surprised when you see her. I gave her a makeover and she's looks amazing." Laura commented, proudly.

Charles nodded along to her comment, with a small smile. After hearing her comment, he couldn't wait to see Liz even more than before.

Breaking the silence between the two, footsteps neared them and Lizzie came into view. When Charles laid his eyes on Liz, he was speechless. She looked amazing; she had always looked amazing to him but wow...

Lizzie had just simply added mascara and lip gloss with some concealer. For her hair, she just made it waving, like always, nothing special in her eyes. But Charles would have a different opinion.

"You look..." He started, causing Lizzie to bit her lip nervously. "Fantastic." He finished giving her his charming smile.

"Thanks." She said, blushing lightly.

"No earrings?" He asked, and Lizzie groaned on the inside, she had completely forgotten about earrings. All she was wearing was a silver diamond star necklace that Charles had got a few months ago, for her birthday.

"Oh right, my bad." She said sheepish

"No, no, I'm glad." Charles said then reached into his coat pocket pulling out a small box, "Because now... you can wear these." He opened the black velvet box revealing set of silver and diamond chandelier earrings that went with the necklace perfectly.

"They're beautiful" Lizzie gaped.

"Not as beautiful as you." Charles said, it was cheesy line but it made Lizzie blush. With the box in hand, Liz walked over to the mirror next to the door and began putting on each earring, admiring them before turning back to Laura and Charles.

"How do they look?" She asked

Laura just smiled at her sister, "Perfect" was all Charles said. "I hate to rush, but we have a reservation in twenty minutes." Charles said, glancing at his watch.

I nodded and he pulled his arm out for Lizzie, she looped her arm with his and they walked to the door. Lizzie waved to her sister who teased, "I won't wait up!" receiving a stern look from Lizzie, not thinking that was funny.

/\_◊_/\

Charles had really gone all out for the anniversary dinner. He even had a limo pick them up and take them to the restaurant. Lizzie said right next to him in the seats, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Thank you for the earrings, I really do love them." Lizzie said, trying to stir up a conversation.

"It's no problem." Charles said and thought to himself, 'It's one of my jewelry to come'. If she only knew the evening he had planned for her. Tonight was the big night, he had a ring picked out and everything.

"Are you okay?" Lizzie asked, pulling away from him, to look into his eyes. "You seem nervous." She said and he mentally cursed, he had tried to seem calm but how could he not be nervous? He was going to ask the big question to someone he loved, with the chance she might say no... And it kind of scared him.

"I'm fine." He said, holding her hand and giving her a warm smile, trying to comfort her.

She watched him carefully for a moment before nodding. "Okay" She was going to lay her head back on his shoulder, when his phone rang. He reached inside his coat pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Charles Streck" He said into the phone, answering it. Lizzie then moved to the side seating in the limo and watched Charles on the phone. By the distaste and the heavy sigh that came from Charles while on the phone, she knew their plans had just been delayed.

When Charles hung up, Lizzie spoke. "Something wrong...?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

Charles sighed again, hating the sad expression of his girl's face. "Yeah... we're gonna be a little late for our reservation, I have to stop by work real quick. It shouldn't take long." He said. Lizzie just nodded along, giving a tight smile. "I'm sorry, Liz"

She held her hand up, "It's okay, don't worry about it." She didn't like the plans being delayed but she wasn't going to complain about it. "So what's going on at work?" She asked, curiosity always getting the best of her. It was a quality Charles had loved and hated about her. He loved how she was always interested in his work but feared that she would get too close.

"Oh nothing to worry about... just one of our workers having a problem... nothing I can't solve." He commented with a small smile, which she returned but if only she knew the dark truth hidden in his words.

"My boyfriend... the problem solver" She mocked then looked out the windows. He watched her, with a small smile.

"Driver" Charles spoke; the man driving looked at him through the mirror.

"Yes, sir...?"

"I need you to take us to my work as quickly as you can." Charles said while Lizzie just forced her face expression to stay content, to hide her sadness. Work was important to Charles and at times, she felt as if he put it before her but of course she would never complain.

It wasn't a long ride to Charles' work, he was the soon to be owner of Gotham's water supplier, Streck's Water Company. It didn't sound like much to Charles, it was his life. A life he had hoped to share with Lizzie. Soon, after his father retired, he would take over the company. He couldn't have been more thrilled to hear those words leave his father's mouth.

The driver pulled to the side, parking, when he arrived at Streck's Water Company.

"Wait here, okay? I won't be long." Charles said shortly to Lizzie before getting out without another word.

Lizzie sighed deeply when Charles shut the limo door and headed into the building.

After fifteen minutes, Lizzie had become tired of waiting and slightly annoyed from the fact that she and Charles were late for dinner.

After telling the driver she was going to check on Charles, she left the car, holding her clutch still and entered the building. Since the building was closed at this time, all the lights were off except for one a couple feet ahead of Lizzie, a light that was flickering. Lizzie rubbed her arms, trying to get rid of the chills bumps she received walking down the empty, eerie hallway. As she approached the elevator, she pushed the button and waited for the ding. As she stood there, she heard a muffled voice down the hall, heading to the storage garage. She looked down the hall, staring at the doors where the voices were coming from.

Forgetting the elevator, she began to slowly walk towards the garage doors. "Hello?" She said, not too loud but clearly. There was no response to her but the voices continued and seem to get louder as she came to the door. Pushing one of the doors open, quietly, she peered inside. She couldn't see anyone but the voices were definitely coming from here. She, cautiously, walked into the room. All Lizzie could see was brown boxes; after all it was the storage room. She walked down what looked like another hallway, boxes on each side of her, making a trail leading her to an opening. Instead of just walking into the next room, she peaked around the corner. In the garage opening, she could see Charles with three other guys. Two of the men, she had seen in Charles' office, leaving, when she arrived to meet him. When she had asked him who they were, Charles just replied by saying, "Oh, they're just old friends." The two men, Charles' 'old friends' were standing by him, glaring at the man Charles was speaking to.

The man Charles was talking to was someone Lizzie didn't recognized but by watching his face expression, he seemed distressed and that confused her.

As she watched, she stepped closer to hear them but made sure to stay hidden behind the boxes.

"... We had a deal." The mystery man said, his hands twitching nervously.

"And we still do." Charles said, "But now, there's a slight change of plans."

"But Crane said-" The man said, but Charles cut him off.

"Crane isn't in charge here... I am. You work for me and you'll do as I say." Charles said sternly causing Lizzie's eyebrows to furrow. This Charles wasn't the one she knew.

"I don't think so... this wasn't part of the plan... I'm out" The man gulped after saying those words, fear filling him afraid of what might happen.

"Lenny, let's talk about this." Charles said but 'Lenny' stopped him.

"Nothing to talk about, I won't be involved in... this" He said, "I don't know what grudge you have against this town, but it doesn't deserve it. I won't be responsible for whatever destruction you cause." Lenny said

Charles sighed, frustrated. "Are you sure there's nothing I can say to change your mind?" He asked, tiredly. As Lenny shook his head, Lizzie watched one of Charles' friends handed him an object that he held it against his back. She couldn't tell what it was until after Charles spoke, "Well, you've left me with no choice then" He raised his hand, and Lizzie's eyes widen seeing the gun in Charles' hand.

Lenny's body became rigid, "No wait, please. I won't say anything, I promise." But that didn't stop Charles from firing two rounds into the man's chest. Lizzie gasped, her eyes wide with shock, as she watched the man fall to the ground and go still. She covered up her mouth with both hands to keep the whimper that came from her mouth quiet.

Charles ordered the men to move Lenny's body, but as they did this, Lizzie began to back up. While moving backwards, keeping her eyes on the men, she accidently bumped into boxes causing them to dump over. The sound of boxes falling caused Charles and his men's head to jerk over in Lizzie's direction. She ducked down before they could see her.

"What was that?" Charles said and his men shrugged. "Well, go find out!" He ordered through his teeth. As one man walked off, Charles stopped the other. "Marco," He started handing him the gun. "Find whatever it was and kill it" He said, Marco nodded and walked off, gun in hand.

When Lizzie heard Charles say that, she thought maybe he didn't know it was her but she was too scared to confront him. When she heard the men's footsteps near her, she took off running through the doors. Her plans were to run outside but it failed when she tried to open the front doors, but for some reason they were locked. Knowing she didn't have much time, she pushed open a door that was in the hallway and ran in quickly. She had never been in this part of the building but she assumed it was where all the waters were since there were so many pipes.

As she hurried into the room, running to the other side, she heard the door being swung open and slamming against the wall. Since she found it hard to hide or run quietly in heels, she took them off, but kept holding them as she continued running. She saw a pair of stairs and headed towards them, glancing back seeing shadows of the men getting close. She rushed up the steps and as she reached the top, she looked to the men when she heard one shout, "Up there!" while pointing towards her. Running again, she hurried as fast as she could up the stairs to where ever they lead. When she reached the top, she found herself on walkway, which she took and it lead her to an even pipe. She concluded that it was the main pipe that headed to the lake. Thinking it was her best shot she ran down the pipe, scared when the sound of footsteps got closer. Rushing to the end of the pipe, she came to a halting stop when she reached the end of the pipe, and it dropped off at least 40 feet down into the water. She nearly lost her balance, almost falling off. She took a deep breath, relaxing slightly. But her nervous were calmed yet and they only got worse when she was grabbed from behind. One of Charles' minions gripped Lizzie's arm so tight, she cried out but they didn't care. Pulling out his phone, one of the lackeys dialed a phone number and waited while it rang, on speaker phone. Charles picked up, "Did you find the problem?" He asked, roughly.

"Yes, sir. What do you want us to do with her?" One of the men asked into the phone.

"Dispose of her; we can't have anyone messing with our plan." Right as Lizzie went to speak, Marco covered her mouth, muffling her words.

"Just dispose of her?" Marco asked eyeing Lizzie. Her eyes widen at the look he was giving her and fear began to cry.

"Yes, Marco." Charles said, "No funny business, we can't risk it. Just dispose of her and that will be all." Charles ordered then hung up the phone. Lizzie's cries became louder, tears falling on her face, hearing Charles' demand. The other lackey removed his hand from Lizzie's mouth and she began to speak.

"Please" She begged, "I won't say anything, please." She started to feel like the man from earlier, he had begged but Charles had showed no remorse so why would these men?

As one of the men, lifted the gun, Marco stopped him. "Easy, Duke. What's the rush?" He said coolly.

"Charles said to dispose of her" Duke said

"Yeah but why so soon, when we can have some fun first?" Marco said, titling his head at Lizzie.

"Marco, Charles said no funny business" Duke stated but Marco brushed him off.

"Well, Charles' not here and it would be ashamed to let a body like that go to waste." Lizzie's breathing hardens at his words, she began to take a few steps back but stop when she reached the end. She was trapped with these men but only one truly terrified her.

"Please" Lizzie said, hoping they wouldn't hurt her.

"Now see? She's even begging for it." Marco commented and Lizzie shook her head desperately.

He went to take a step towards her but Duke stopped him, "Come on, man. Don't." He said, Duke would rather just kill the girl than torture her... but Marco had other plans.

"Why not...? She's gonna die anyway." Marco said, shoving him out of the way. As he came closer, Lizzie cried harden. She let out a shaky gasp when Marco reached into his pocket, pulling out a switch blade.

"Oh, god" She muttered then looked at him shaking her head slightly. "Please don't."

While Duke just stood there, not sure what to do, Marco reached for Lizzie, gripping the hair of the back of her head. He pulled her head to the side slightly, revealing her neck. He placed the sharp part of the knife to her throat and smiled wickedly. "Let's play a little game, shall we?" He said then put pressure on the knife, Lizzie whimpered when it pierced her skin causing a line of blood to drain down her neck.

/\_◊_/\

After having his fun, Marco let go of Lizzie, letting her fall to the ground limp. She had little cuts up and down her arm, legs, neck and face. Marco had even cut off some of her hair, just to humiliate her.

Even though Marco made sure each cut wasn't too deep, the blood she had loss was making her dizzy and very weak. As she laid on the cold metal surface, she prayed that it would just end...

"Now, one last thing" Marco said taking his knife, that still had Lizzie's blood on it, and bending down.

He used the knife to cut open the middle of Lizzie's dress, from the bottom up to her stomach.

While do so, Duke's face expression began to show panic. "Come on, man. Stop it. You had your fun, now let's go." He said, but Marco ignored him. "Marco, she's had enough, let's just go." He said, attempting to pull Marco away from Lizzie's limp body.

Marco shoved him back hard and growled "You have a problem with what I'm doing, you can leave!"

Duke looked from Marco to Lizzie, debating. He knew he couldn't talk Marco out of doing something he had his mind set on. With a sigh, Duke turned around and heading back up the pipe leaving "I'll be up in a minute." Marco hollered then looked to Lizzie muttering, "This won't take long"

As Marco moved Lizzie's legs, opening them, she began to use the rest of the strength she had left to fight him off. But it was no use.

Marco held the knife to her throat, threatening her as she cried. "Shut up" He said but she continued to cry, tears pouring at the pain she was feeling.

"Please... stop" She begged as she found herself beginning to drift off slowly. Either she was falling asleep or dying, she couldn't tell but either one was better than being awake right now.

When he was done, Marco stood zipping his pants. He had an arrogant expression like had just won an award for something. It only made Lizzie feel even sicker.

Lizzie's head fell to the side weakly, facing Marco as he began to leave. "Bye, girl, it was fun while it lasted" He commented sending her a wink as he strolled up the pipe, leaving her there.

As he reached Duke at the entrance of the main pipe, he spoke. "You done now...?" Duke asked, slightly annoyed.

"Yep... she's not much fun when she's passing out" Marco's commented made Duke's stomach turned but he pushed it off.

"You're going to hell, you know that right?" He asked Marco but he just took it as a joke, laughing it off. "Wait, what do you we do now?" Duke asked, "We can't just leave her in the pipes."

Marco glanced around and focused on the controls for the pipe. "We won't." He said walking over to them, pushing a button to seal the main pipe, he glanced at Duke. "We'll let the water finish her off." He said clicking the green button, releasing the water in the pipe. Marco, without a care in the world, walked out casually while Duke just stared at the pipe. He wasn't sure if he should stop the water and see if he could help the girl but when he heard the water running, he knew it was too late. Besides, what could he have done? The girl had been through enough, she was better off dead now. Duke walked away, catching up with Marco as they made their way to the boss.

Meanwhile, Lizzie lay curled up, shaking slightly from what had just happen plus from the cold breeze that blew against her skin. She had no more strength; she couldn't even more her hands. Her eyes were drooping slightly as she began to sink into the darkness. Catching her attention though was the sound of running water. She forced her eyes open, as well as she could, looking up the pipe. As she stared, she saw nothing but darkness but because of the moonlight outside, she was able to make out movement. She prayed that the men weren't back but why was she hearing water?

It then dawned on her, that she was in a water pipe, so water was inevitable. When the sight of a huge amount water caught her eye, she felt panic rise within her but there was nothing she could do. She closed her eyes tightly and held her breath. Seconds later, she was hit by the water so strong that it pushed her off the edge of pipe. Falling the distance it took to hit the water below, she flowed with the water, not even struggling. In her mind, it was pointless. She didn't want to fight anymore. She was too tired. She was in too much pain.

A split second before hitting the water, she managed to suck in some air before being swallowed into the lake. She felt body give out finally and she began to sink. Lizzie just closed her eyes and waited for it to end. She made the mistake of opening her mouth, gulping water but that was it took. Her eyes closed and remained that way as her body floated in the water.

Only minutes after she had finally stopped breathing, her body rose to the surface, floating on top. As the water from the pipes hit the lake, it gave a push, strong enough to move Lizzie's body along until she washed up on a small bank nearby.

As she laid there motionless, still, stiff, she looked so calm. Minus the cuts that covered her body, and a few bruises here and there, she looked at peace. Not a care in the world, no pain, no fears... Nothing but darkness surrounded her.

Only minutes after her washing onto the shore, they appeared.

They had been waiting for this to happen, they had seen it coming. It was not what they had wanted but it is what had happened.

Several cats, at least ten, surrounded her body, equally spaced out and at a distance from her. The only one who got closer seemed to be the leader. There was a sense of independence, leadership, and strong-minded look in her amber eyes as she made her way to Lizzie. She climbed onto her stomach, moving to sit on her chest, leaning down to be face to face.

As the leader stared at the woman, the other cats just stood still, waiting. Moments passed by as the cat watched the woman's face, checking for any movements. When she was sure the women was dead, she leaned in closer, opening her mouth, breathing on her. The particles that had left the cat's mouth floated through the air and into Lizzie's nose. After a moment, Lizzie's inhaled deeply, the cat's DNA heading through her sinus then into her bloodstream. The cat's breath seemed to act as a healing ability because as it flooded through Lizzie's entire body, she began to stir. A heart beat was heard to all the cats as they listened closely. The leader held her head high, satisfied that her work had been done.

Moments later, Lizzie's eyes shot open and a loud gasp came from her mouth as air filled her lungs again, allowing her to breath.

/\_◊_/\

Slowly, Lizzie walked through the empty streets of Gotham city, bare footed. Only people out at this hour were homeless and they didn't bother Lizzie, especially with the way she looked. Her hair was a complete mess, makeup smeared, dress cut up and not to mention, she was drenched head to toe. With the windy weather, from a cold front, she was shaking from the air hitting her wet skin. She trembled slightly as she walked, tripping a few times but never falling. Walking like a zombie, with her arms crossed trying to get warm; she headed in the direction of her home.

At this time, Lizzie was so out of it, her mind didn't grasped what had just happened to her yet.

It hadn't sunk into her mind yet that she had just witnessed a murder or the fact that she had awaken on a bank after drowning. All she knew was she needed to get home before her sister got worried.

Even out of it, she knew walking through the apartment lobby wasn't a good idea. Instead she walked through the alley, to the fire escape and began walking up the stairs until she reached her floor. Looking in, she noticed her sister sleeping peacefully on the coach. Lizzie, not wanting to wake her, gently pushed opens the window which apparently hadn't been locked. She slid it open and stepped in quietly, not making a sound. Then without even as much of a creek of the floor boards, she walked across heading to her room. When she reached the dark hallway, she heard her sister wake up.

"Lizzie?" She mumbled sitting up half way, still dozed.

"Yeah, it's me. Go back to sleep" Lizzie replied sticking to the shadows so Laura couldn't see her. Laura did as she was told, turned away from Lizzie and fell back to sleep.

Lizzie walked immediately into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her. As she flicked the lights on, she glanced at herself in the mirror. While doing so, she stared at her reflection long and hard. She touched her neck first, seeing a small cut on the side then her eyes went to the dress she was wearing, which was completely ruined. Still kind of dazed, she pulled off what was left of the dress, letting it fall to the floor. She slipped her bra and panties off and then turned on the hot water for the shower.

Stepping in, Lizzie left the water drain down her body, washing off all the dirt and muddy water that had stained her skin. After a few minute of just standing in the water, Lizzie began to wake up, her mind becoming clear. Her breathing labored at the memories, she glanced down at herself seeing how the cuts and dirt that remained on her. Then frantically, she began to scrub her skin with a bathing sponge, as hard as she could trying to get it all off. She began to scrub so hard, her skin became red and soon bruised. Tears fell down her face as she continued scrubbing; she was finally at her breaking point. Soon, she stopped scrubbing altogether and leaned against the wall, continuing her crying. She slid down the wall and sat down on the shower floor. Her eyes watched the drain as all the dirt and blood from her body, combined with the shower water and vanished down the drain.

She stay there for what seemed like hours before getting out, wrapping a towel around her body. She sniffling, she scooped up the ripped dress and walked out of the bathroom, but first checked to make sure her sister wasn't around. Lizzie went straight to her room after leaving the bathroom, and changed into a pair of her pajamas, which consisted of a tank top and sweat pants.

As she walked out of the room, she went to where Laura was sleeping. Instead of just pulling a blanket onto her and leaving her there, she decides to move her. She had expected to have some difficulty but for some odd reason when she picked up her sister, it was like she weighed nothing. She swiftly moved around the dark living room, taking Laura into her bedroom and laying her on the bed, then pulled the comforter over Laura's body to keep her warm. After shutting her door quietly, Lizzie went back to my room and crawled into her own sheets. She curled up into a ball but didn't sleep just yet. For a couple seconds, she just kept her eyes open, not sure what to think or to feel after today's events. After her small break down in the shower, she was all cried out and no other emotion seemed to surface right now.

Closing her eyes, she turned on her back. Her body ached to sleep and even though she tossed and turn for some time, she had no problem drifting off.

And while Lizzie slept in her bed, the leader cat, from before, was sitting right outside her window, watching over her.


	2. Chapter 1

**Beyond the Mask**

**Chapter One**

(5 years later...)

I stared at the city view from my balcony, as a light breeze blew in my direction; it was such a beautiful view. I could imagine what it looked like at night if it was this stunning during the day.

Hearing the lock on the front door click from being opened caused me to step inside the apartment, closing the balcony doors. I turned around just in time to see my baby girl run towards me. I bent down, opening my arms and scooped her up, while she wrapped her arms around my neck as I stood with her. Giving her a tight hug and a quick kiss on the head, I pulled away to see her face. "Hi, sweetie, how was your day?" I asked the five year old.

"It was great!" She exclaimed in adorable kid voice. "I got ice cream!" She practically cheered.

"Ice cream...?" I repeated, acting surprised to humor her. "That is great, what kind did you get?" I asked looking at her with a sweet smile. This girl was literally the light of my life. I could be mad at someone, so mad I'd want to break something but just by seeing her, or hearing her voice, I would instantly calm down.

"Chocolate" She said sheepish.

"You got chocolate ice cream without me?" I said with a hurt expression. She giggled slightly, "Oh, is my pain funny to you?" I asked, she nodded with a cheeky smile. "Really...?" I said, she squealed when I started to tickle her sides as payback.

"Is it funny now, huh?"

While having a laughing fit, she said "Yes" so I kept on tickling her until someone else walked into the apartment.

"Well, I see the two of you've settled in quite nicely." She said, with a small smile.

"Good to see you too, Laura." I said putting down Janie, letting her walk over to Laura.

"Mommy, can I stay with Aunt Lizzie tonight?" She asked with a cute puppy dog look that I had taught her.

"No, sweetie, I'm sure Aunt Lizzie will be very busy with unpacking, but maybe another night." Laura said softly after bending down Janie's level.

I saw Janie give a pouty lip, so I spoke up "Actually I would love to have her here, both of you really. I mean it is my first time here... all alone" I said, with a sad tone, then with a sigh. "By myself... in an empty apartment" I said glancing around dramatically then sighed heavily again. "So, so, so alone"

"Okay!" Laura said, stopping me. I then smiled in victory. "We'll stay" She added, Janie and I gave each other a high five. "But for only one night, then we're leaving tomorrow." She said sternly.

Janie and I both frowned and muttered "Okay".

"Alright, kids" Laura said, more directly towards me so I stuck out my tongue quickly. "I see you unpacked everything but the kitchen." Laura said walking into my kitchen, looking through some of the boxes.

"Well you know me; I wanted to save the best for last." I said sarcastically. She gave me a side glance.

"So what are we eating?" She asked looking at me.

"Didn't ya'll just have ice cream?" I asked causing her to give me a side glance.

"I'm still hungry okay?" She then stuck her tongue out, causing me to crack a smile. "A small cone doesn't always fill everyone." She muttered before asking "So, should we order out?"

I glanced around and checked the boxes for any available food. "That's probably a good idea. Unless you want to eat sardines...?" I offered, holding up a can I had pulled from the boxes.

Laura grimace and shook her head. "Ew! I hate those" She commented, I shrugged my shoulders.

"There not that bad" I said, looking at the can before putting it back in the box.

"You and sardines... I'll never understand why you like them so much."

"There delicious" I commented calmly

"There disgusting" She retorted, while putting up some of the food I had packed.

I rolled my eyes, "Matter of opinion" I replied.

"Remember that weird phase you went through a couple years back." She shivered remember while I just smiled at the memory. It was a different time then, I wasn't aware of what was happening to me.

(5 years ago, two nights after Lizzie died)

"Man, I'm starving" I groaned walking into the kitchen, rubbing my stomach. I had just woken up and it was already daylight. "What's there to eat?"

"Cereal, besides that... nothing really" Laura commented, while she sipped her coffee.

She looked completely tired; she even had purple rings around her eyes. "What's with you? You look like you haven't slept in days" I said looking through the cabinets.

"I was up all night and morning vomiting; it's been like this for a couple days now." She said groggily "I think I might have the stomach virus or something."

"Yeah or something" I retorted while grabbing something that appealed to me.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Laura asked as I approached the counter, on the other side of her, laying down the food I had chosen.

"What?" I said, opening up the can by pulling the tab.

"'Yeah or something'" She repeated my words.

I shrugged my shoulders, "Have you had sex lately?" I asked suddenly causing her to choke on the sip of coffee she took.

"Excuse me?" She said

"You heard me." I responded

"What does that have to do with anything?" She asked and I paused looking at her.

"Seriously...?" I said, like it was common knowledge and it was. "You and I've had The Talk before so how do you not get this?" I asked, she just stared at me. "You. Might. Be. Pregnant" I said slowly, hoping she would catch on.

She suddenly started laughing, "I can't be pregnant, I'm only twenty."

I snickered "I hate to break it to you, sis, but age doesn't matter. As long as you're fertile, there's always a chance you can get pregnant."

I explained nonchalantly

"I'm not pregnant, it's not possible" She said, but it sounded more like to herself.

"Denial" I muttered before reaching into the can and pulling out a whole fish. I could see Laura watching me intensely.

"Are you about to eat a sardine?" She asked, I nodded "It's 8 o'clock in the morning." She added

"So?" was all I said before putting the whole sardine in my mouth and chewing it. I smiled, liking the taste "These are pretty good." I commented, pulling out another can.

"Oh god, please don't." She flinched seeing me raise the fish to put in my mouth, ignoring her protests; I dropped the fish in my mouth, chewed and swallowed. When I glanced over at Laura, she looked sick. And as soon as I started to suck the oil off my fingers, she jumped up, ran to the sink and bent over to vomit.

"Oh, yeah" I said while laughing softly, "You're definitely pregnant." I grimace when she threw up again in the sink. "I'm not cleaning that up" I commented before walking out of the kitchen but not without grabbing another can of sardines.

"It was gross" Laura commented, bringing back to reality.

I scoffed, "Oh shut up, it wasn't that bad."

"Ohh, you told mommy to shut up!" Janie said, pointing at me as if I was going to get into trouble.

"I can tell her that."

"Why?" She asked

"Because I'm a grown-up" I said shortly and in return I got a pouty lip from her while she crossed her arms over her chest. Which was the respond I got from her when I told her I could do something, she couldn't.

"Janie, stop pouting" Laura said sternly then looked to me, "And you know to watch what you say around her. She's not a baby anymore, she actually hears you now." I nodded with a blank expression at my sister, not caring. "Lizzie" She said when I didn't answer back.

"I hear you, God!" I said, slightly annoyed.

"Ohh, you swore!" Janie pointed out making Laura send me a parental glare.

"Do you want to go back home?" I asked Janie, being serious and she immediately shook her head. "Then stop being annoying" I said then stuck my tongue out at her so she didn't think I was being too mean or bossy.

"So about the take-out...?" Laura questioned and I gave her a half glance. "Should I order or should you?" She asked

"You order and I'll go pick it up." I said

"You don't have to go, the Chinese place always delivery." Laura stated

"Yeah, I know but while I wait, I could look around the city and see if there are any available jobs."

"Like banking...?" She said, glancing at me as though she didn't believe that I was ever in banking. And I was... well kind of.

I remembered the time a couple years ago, a couple days after that night, when I was walking by a bank and I got an idea. I had recently discovered my new abilities and after playing around/practicing with them, I thought I was readying to use them for more things. I was tight on cash at the time and Laura had just taken a pregnancy test, confirming my earlier remarks, she had indeed been pregnant. It was only a couple months before we left Gotham, that I had robbed the Jefferson's Bank on Main Street. No one was hurt, of course, and because it was after hours, no witnessed anything. It wasn't a habit or hobby for me to steal but I did do it more than once. But I planned on paying back every cent I took one day.

It wasn't like I wasting the money on clothes or cars, I was spending it towards Laura with all the baby stuff she needed plus doctor's appointments. I like to think of the money I took as a loan from the bank because that's what it really was.

"Yeah, like banking." I agreed calmly towards her, ignoring the sarcastic remark she had sent my way when she brought it up. She gave me another look, not believing me still but didn't say much more than that. I knew Laura had her own ideas of what I meant by 'banking' but she never dug too much into it. Maybe she didn't think it really meant any more than what I said or maybe she just didn't want to get involved. I don't know but she didn't push me so I didn't push her.

"So I'll order now, I guess" She said kind of awkwardly pulling out her cellphone and dials the number from the little pamphlet she had apparently picked up earlier. "You want your usual?" She asked, phone against her ear, while glancing at me. I just nodded with a tight smile then watched Janie. She had brought a coloring book with her and been coloring while Laura and I spoke.

"Now what are you coloring here?" I asked amused, leaning in closer.

As she used a black crayon to color in the animal, she said, "It's a kitten."

"A kitten...?" I repeated and looked at the page, now seeing an outline drawing of a small kitten playing with yarn. "Aw, well isn't precious" I smiled, "But why are you using such a dark color?" A girl her age usually uses yellow, pink or purple or maybe gray for a cat but not black.

"Because black cats are the best" I smiled at her comment, "They can stand out in a crowd but stay hidden in shadows" I looked to her, eyebrows up with amusement.

I then half laughed, "That's a very good observation, Janie." I said impressed then glanced at the page, "You know what? I think you need a nickname." I added suddenly.

She looked to me with her big blue eyes, "Like what?"

I pretend to think for a second then said, "What about 'Kitten'?" I offered, "You could be my little kitten" She thought about then nodded her head excitedly.

"Yeah! I like it!" She said with a huge smile.

"Food will be ready in thirty minutes to an hour." Laura said, walking towards us.

I nodded, "I'll go now then" Standing up from the stool, "See you in a little bit, Kitten." I said giving Janie a kiss on the top of her head.

She giggled slightly then continued on with coloring.

/\_◊_/\

As I walked down the main street, I got this weird feeling in my stomach. I was having a flashback of the time I walked down this street after the accident.

I could barely bring myself to even admit to myself what happened that night. It wasn't an accident, I knew that but to say what really happened... just made me sound crazy. As I walked by all the stores, I stopped and glanced at myself in the reflection. I made sure my hair was fine and it was. Over the years I had found it easier to just keep it short, the length was never passed my neck but now my curly hair dropped to my shoulders. Since I had just moved in and wasn't really looking for a job, per say, I didn't dress up before leaving. I was wearing a simple red t-shirt with white Chinese symbols on it, a simple pair of dark jeans and a plain leather jacket. As I drifted from my reflection in the window, my gaze focused on the diamond necklaces that were in the showcase. I figured it was a jewelry store and as soon as the word 'Jewelry' entered my mind, I thought about all the possibilities. I bit my lip looking at the necklaces and earrings that just sparkled; it was like it they were calling my name. Shaking my head, and thoughts, I continued my walk, ignoring my instincts, which was extremely hard to do. But I made myself walk further away from the stores, blocking out the voice in my head telling me that I could do it, I could steal them. I knew I could, I didn't need a voice to tell me that but I also knew it was wrong and I couldn't. I had only just moved back and Laura and Janie were staying the night, I couldn't do something like that right now. Or anytime, really

Taking a deep breath, I finally pushed the idea from my mind and stared looking for banks. I would usually go in and 'apply' for a job, all the while I was looking around, gathering info on where the safes were, the cameras and how much security they had. I had to admit, even with little practice, I was pretty good at robbing banks. It just took patience, skill, intelligence and crafty leg work. When I finally found a bank, it was just a small one on the corner of the street, I walked in casually. Heading straight towards one of the front desks, I spoke to the woman behind it.

"Hi, my name is Selina Kyle and I would like to open an account." Selina Kyle was my fake name; I wasn't actually going to give me real one. Although I could have been more creative when it came to my last name but if all else fails, police couldn't pin me to a robbery just because I had the same name.

The woman smiled at me, "Alright, I can help you with that" She said cheeky then opened a drawer from her desk pulling out a few pieces of paper. "I can over all the plans we have until we find one that is suitable to your needs, then you just fill out this form and that's be it." I already knew what to do but I played naïve.

"Really...? That's all?" I said, pretending to be shock.

She gave me a smile, "Yes ma'am." My face expression fell slightly at her calling me that. I was only 28, why would she call me 'ma'am'? Hoping it was just out of respect, I gave her tight smile. "If you'll just take a seat" She said motion to the chair in front of her but I was hoping to walk around. But out of me being respectful, I sat down. "My name is Alicia." She added. For the next ten minutes she yammered on about all the plans that would 'reward me in the end'. I played my character well, pretending to find it all amusing when in reality; I was trying to keep from yawning or dozing off to sleep. "So now that we've gone over all the essentials, you can just pick the plan that suits your needs and fill out these forms." She said, stacking the papers together and stapling them.

Instead of taking the forms, not wanting my finger prints on them, I asked "Well, um, do you have bathroom I could to real quick?" I said with a nice smile. She placed the papers on the desk and nodded.

"Down that hall to the right" She said pointing to her left and sure enough when I looked in that direction I saw a restroom sign.

I thanked her and then walked in the direction she had pointed to. I walked straight towards the bathroom but didn't entered, I glanced back at the girl seeing her distraction on her blackberry then looked around making sure no one was watching me. When no one was, I turned to the left and opened the door. I wasn't exactly sure, but I figured that this door would lead to the safe. I wasn't going to take money right now of course; I just needed to get a layout of the place.

Walking down the small set of sets, I found a small set of steps to the bottom floor, which indeed had a safe. I didn't touch anything, just walked around, keeping my head down, I didn't see any cameras but I didn't want to risk the change of my face being recorded. As I walked around, I spotted a small window in the back of the room and headed towards it. It was just simple window, but because it was latched from the inside, no one would be able to open it from the outside. They could probably break it open but that might trigger an alarm. Taking a deep breath, I unlatched the lock and pushed the window and prepared myself for the sound of loud bells going off.

After a minute, I exhaled hearing nothing but silence. No alarm. Wow, this bank really didn't care about being robbed, did they?

Staring at the window, I realized I couldn't just leave it open, someone would be bound to notice. Although, no one seemed to notice me going into an 'Employees Only' room, so clearly people here were blind. But I still didn't want to take the chance. I looked around; I needed something that could keep the door open but not arouse suspicion. I couldn't find anything so I checked my pockets seeing if there was anything I could use.

The only thing I had was gum, so I settled for it. I popped a piece in my mouth then leaned against the wall for a minute, chewing it until it was soft and moist enough. Taking it out of my mouth, I placed it on the window steal then closed the window shut. This way the window would stay shut but would be easy to pull open later on. I pushed the lock close enough to look like it was locked, but it wasn't.

My whole setup wasn't exactly secret agent material but I worked with what I had and it had been awhile, so I was a little rusty.

I came back to the safe and stared for a minute, examining it. The only thing these people had done to protect the safe was guarding it was a metal gate which I felt the need to laugh at. I could easily pick that lock and walk straight inside without breaking a sweat.

When I had finally gather all the info I needed, meaning I now knew what type of tools I would need to use, I walked back up the stairs, opening the door and shutting it behind me. When I turned around, I gasped slightly, placing my hand on my chest.

"You scared me" I breathed out seeing Alicia standing in front of me, arms crossed and an unhappy look on her face. She definitely didn't seem like the girl I had just been talking to before.

"What do you think you're doing?" She asked and I confirmed by her tone that she was not pleased.

"Looking for the bathroom, didn't you say it was on the left?" I asked, playing clueless.

"I said right." She corrected

"Really...? Are you sure?" I questioned and she just pointed over her shoulder at the bathrooms. "Ah" I said, "I just don't know how I missed that." I commented then seeing her hard, stern face expression I added, "Maybe I should just go...?" She nodded slowly in agreement, giving me a tight smile. I began to walk away but stopped, "Actually, I still need to use the bathroom" I said but she stepped in front of me blocking my way, "But I can go somewhere else" I added pretending to be threaten by her, taking a few steps back but in my mind I was kind of laughing. I could take her down with ease if I wanted or needed to. I could easier take anyone in this bank actually. Not just because of my 'super' strength and senses, but because over the past five years I've been taking fighting lessons from

an old boxer known as 'Wildcat', aka Ted Grant.

Without making a scene, mainly because I didn't need the attention, I just walked out of the bank. Hurrying though, I rushed to the Chinese place, that hadn't moved since we left and walked in just in time to pick up the food. I paid in cash and thanked them before leaving and heading back to my place. Most people would have took a cab home, or taken one into town to begin with, but I hated being in small places, I felt trapped. And I didn't like to feel trapped.

/\_◊_/\

"I'm back" I said opening my apartment door then closing and locking it. As I walked down the small hallway, I headed to the kitchen and when I entered I was a little surprised at what I saw. I shouldn't have been, knowing my sister, but I was. All the boxes had been unpacked and everything was put into place. "Laura?" I called sitting the to-go boxes that were in a bag, onto the counter.

"In the living room" She responded and that's exactly where I went. When I entered I saw Laura and Janie both sitting on the floor in front of the TV. Janie was watching cartoons while Laura tried to French braid her hair, key word being "tried".

"Did you unpack everything while I was gone?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yep" She responded not really paying me much attention, she was still struggling to braid Janie's hair. I heard Janie hissed in pain when Laura pulled too hard on her hair, "Sorry, sweetie" She said.

"So... you unpacked, organized and clean the kitchen in less than thirty-five minutes?" I asked and then walked over to them, pulling my jacket off in the process, throwing it on the coach where I had soon collapsed on.

"You sound surprise" She stated, still focusing on Janie's hair.

"Yeah, I really shouldn't be, should I?" I watched as Laura pulled, once again, too hard on Janie's hair causing her to whimper. "Okay, this is just pathetic." I said getting off the coach and sitting down next to them. "Let me" I said and Janie turns her back towards me, giving me access to her hair. "Okay, braiding hair is simple; if you know how to." I stated splitting Janie's hair into three strands of hair, then began to cross them, one after the under then tucking a strand under and kept going until it was all braided neatly. "Rubber band?" I said holding my hair; Laura quickly dropped a cute red band in my hand that had a little plastic black cat on it. "Where did you get these?" I asked while examine the cat before putting the rubber band into Janie's hair to keep her hair all together.

"Janie picked them out." I nodded

"You really like cats, huh Kitten?" I said, but her eyes were glued to the TV, I followed her gaze seeing 'Tom and Jerry' playing on the TV screen. I half smiled at her choice of shows, Tom and Jerry had to be one of the best cartoons. "Okay, now I'm going to go wet my hair, to get the curls out while I'm doing that, practiced on braiding your hair." I told Laura standing up, she gave a look of uncertainty but I respond by giving a stern expression back.

"Okay," She sighed, "I'm try" She added as I walking out of the living room.

"Good, because when I get back, you're braiding my hair." I informed when I entered the spare bathroom. I knew she wasn't too thrilled about that but she needed the practice, it's about time she learned to braid.

I quickly washed my hair out by using the shower head then when all the curls were washed out, I grabbed a towel and dried it as much as could with the cloth then I used my hair dryer.

When I re-entered the living room, I saw Janie braiding Laura's hair. "What did I say?" I said announcing my present, Laura's head snapped towards me with a look as if she had been caught cheating.

"She made me" Janie said pointing towards her mother, who sent a small playfully glare to her daughter, before looking at me.

"I did try, doesn't that count for something?" She asked while I just placed my hands on my hips, shaking my head lightly. Laura sighed, "Alright, I'll try again." She said

/\_◊_/\

It took at least two hours for Laura to finally get the hang of braiding, but the important thing was she knew how and I would never have to braid her hair again. Although, I let her braid my hair again but loosely, allowing me to have bangs showing and I just loved how it looked.

After finishing our hair, we ate our food while watching movies the rest of the day. By the end of the fourth movie, Laura turned off the TV. "Okay, bedtime" She said to Janie who groaned.

"Can't we watch one more movie?" She asked

"No, sorry, we have to go to bed now; we have an early flight home tomorrow." Laura said softly, even though Janie protests sleep, I could tell she was ready to pass out. She gave another pouty face while Laura pushed her towards the bathroom so she could brush her teeth.

While Janie prepared for bed, Laura and I straighten up the living room, then put all the dirty dishes into the sink to soak then washed the counters. "Okay," Laura said with a yawn, "I'm gonna put Janie to bed then I'm off to sleep, what about you?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go to bed too" I answered glancing at the time, "I'm beat" I added, receiving a nod.

"Goodnight then" She said leaving the kitchen.

"Goodnight" I replied then walked over to the doorway, watching her go into the spare bedroom with Janie. When the door closed, I waited a few seconds before stepping out into the hallway and walking to my room in a hurry but kept quiet. I entered my room; I shut and locked my door then headed to my bed. Bending down, I lifted the skirting and pulled out the locked box I had hid underneath when I arrived yesterday.

Laying the box on my bed, I quickly put in the combination to unlock the padlock. When the lock clicked, I pulled it off and opened the metal container revealing my burglary wear plus a wad of cash. I kept it locked up and hidden so my sister or Janie couldn't find or open it. The last thing I wanted was either of them involved.

Glancing at the clock, reading 11:10 caused me to move a lot faster. At a rapid pace, I stripped off my clothes and put on the clothes I kept hidden, starting with my black cropped tank top and my black leather pants. Unfolding my shoes, I slipped on a pair of thigh high black leather boots then zipped up my black rib jacket. Walking over to my wardrobe, I opened both doors, and placed my hand behind bottom board and pulled up until I heard a click, then removed the board. Pulling out the black duffle bag, that contained all the tools I needed, I threw it on the bed, closing my wardrobe. Walking over to my bathroom mirror, I began to put on some fresh mascara and eyeliner then some concealer. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I began to apply dark red lipstick then studied myself, remembering I needed one last thing. Opening the duffle bag, I saw it lying right on top of the tools; I lifted it up and walked back to the mirror. Carefully, I placed the mask on my face, then pressing on the sides, making sure it was sticking. Looking up at myself in the mirror, I inhaled deeply. I looked so different like this. It was like I was looking at a different person, someone else's reflection, not mine.

Looking to the clock, it read 11:15, and I knew I needed to go. Throwing the duffle bag over my head, onto my shoulders, I headed towards the door, turning off my lights, shutting and locking my door to make sure Laura couldn't go in. As quietly as I could, even in heels, I made my way down the marble floor in the hallway, heading towards the living room. Going straight for the window, I unlocked and lifted it and stepped out, causing the night's cool breezes to hit my face. Before shutting the window, I made sure to pull the curtains closed as well.

Since my apartment was only on the 3rd floor, it didn't take long for me to walk down the fire escape, but as soon as I was on the ground, I made quicker steps through the back alleys.

I checked my watch when I arrived, it was now 11:25 and I knew that the bank closed around 10:30 so I figured the guards, if there's more than one, would do a quick round of the bank making sure everything was secure only minutes after it closed. As I approached the back of the bank, coming from another alley, I slipped into the shadows, blending in and went straight to the window I had left unlocked. I could hear slow footsteps coming near the side of the building, probably one of the security guards. As I opened the window, I threw my bag inside then slid in feet first, dropping to the ground. Then I stepped up on the ledge, closing the window right before the guard turn the corner. As his shadow approached the window, I backed up into the dark corner and watched the guard walked by, stop... then continue on.

While exhaling a heavy sigh, I made my way to the reason I was here. The safe. Laying my duffle bag in front of the cage, I pulled out a simple lock pick and jimmied it opened just as easily as I thought it would be. Pushing the cage door open, I smirked with victory. Walking straight into the cage and using my foot, I slid my duffle bag against the vault then bent down, pulling items out. I put on my red goggles, over my mask, to prevent anything from going in my eyes, and then reached down to my bag again. Next came the cordless drill, I stuck the bolt to the metal, right next to the lock itself, and began drilling a hole into the safe. Usually, I would just drilled a hole, place a mini camera into the hole and watch the device as I found the lock combination but I just wasn't in the mood to mess around. So I just kept drilling until I heard the lock, on the inside, break itself then I pulled out. A few seconds later, the sound of air being released and the sound of a loud click, told me the door was now opened. Placing all my gadgets back into the duffle bag, I pulled on the heavy door and then gawked at what I saw.

It had been while since I had seen the inside of a vault and now I remembered why I loved it so much. There were portable cabinets and shelves full of stacked cash and I couldn't help but smile cheek to cheek. Picking up the duffle bag, I used a pair of bolt cutters to break off the lock on the cabinets. After that, I opened the duffle bag and sliding in money off the shelves at a rapid pace. When I had cleared out the whole thing, I estimated the price to be around over $500,000, it was my highest hit but it wasn't my lowest. Since I could only carry so much weigh, I had to leave all the other cash behind as I left the safe and heading towards the window, not even bothering to close the vault door. I stepped up on ledge, opening the window and peering out, when I saw the coast was clear, I threw the bag out first then climbed out. Before shutting the window, I remembered to grab my gum and chucked it as far as I could. The last thing I needed was the police checking the gum for DNA. Using my jacket sleeve, I rubbed off the saliva, on the window seal that had come from my gum then I threw the bag over my shoulders and began walking away.

Since I had no problem with being spotted or caught, I decided to use the sidewalk instead of the allies. As I passed by the jewelry store, I had wanted to rob earlier today; I stopped walking and took a couple steps backwards when I heard voices yelling but they were muffled. Glancing at the doorways, and taking a step closer, I saw three guys, that looked like body buildings, walking around, dressed in black. And when I saw one turn his back towards me, I noticed a gun tucked into the back of his jeans, whereas the other two had their guns out openly. I pegged them as simple machine guns, nothing fancy.

I knew they were stealing the jewels but I couldn't decide whether or not to do something about it or just keep on walking. The criminal part of me told me to just keep on walking, finder's keepers, but the human part kept nagging at me to put a stop to it.

With a small sigh followed by a quiet groan, I walked around the building, heading towards the backdoor of the jewelry store. I placed my bag of money behind a dumpster and before covering it up with a few empty, shredded, cardboard boxes, I took out a three set of Ninja Throwing knives that I always kept handy when going on a job and a crossbar... you never know when you'll need one.

Before opening the door, I took a moment to think about what I was doing and if it was worth it. I had told myself I wouldn't steal the jewelry... but of course, I couldn't exactly be too picky now since I just robbed a bank. What can I say...? Old habits die hard.

/\_◊_/\

"We have to hurry this up, J. Who knows how long that guard will be out?" I heard a male's voice say while I climbed the back stairs, near the door, to get on the second level of the jewelry store. I wanted to have the advantage of seeing them before they saw me.

I crept down the hallway, keeping myself at the level of the banister that outline the second floor hallway. I peered over slightly, looking down at the men, and then my eyes shifted to the few people rounded up in the corner. The man walking around with gun was watching them intensely. There were four of them, one man and three women, and judging by their uniforms they were all workers here. The women looked scared, where the man tried to give off a tough exterior to try and comfort the women, I'm guessing. Looking back at the robbers, I doubled checked my mask, making sure it was still sticking to my face; I didn't want it falling off later on.

As I looked over at the hostages again, I saw one of the women watching me. I held my index finger against my lips, motioning for her to be quiet. She ended up pointing in my direction to the other workers, mumbling quietly which seem to catch the attention of the robbers. As one of them looked to the workers they followed where they had saw the woman point. I quickly hid behind the stone column a split second before I saw one of the men's neck turn. I stayed there until I heard one of the guy's speaking then another; I'm guessing the leader, replied "Then go check it out!" roughly. And I assumed they suspected someone was here and I was going to be having a visitor any second now.

So instead of waiting around for the gunned man, I cautiously crawled across the floor on my stomach until I reached another column that I was able to hide behind and waited. Closing my eyes, taking deep breath, I concentrated, focusing only on the footsteps I heard coming up the staircase. My eyes slowly opened when I heard the footsteps hit the marble floors of the second floor and at that second something flickered inside of me. It had been awhile since I ever made contacted, like fighting, with someone. When it came to fighting, I learned that you never get anger, because it will affect your judgment and choices.

I gripped the crowbar and remembered that I wasn't going to hit to the kill but as I stared down at the weapon, I knew that wouldn't be possible. Laying it down, I stood up and stepped out of hiding by the time the man, whose face was covered by a black ski mask, was only a few feet away from me. He spotted me instantly and pointed his gun at me but didn't fire, instead he studied my appearance, and I could literally see lust fill his eyes and he smirked. His eyes went down my body all the way to my boots. Even though I felt insulted that he only found me less of a threat because of what I was wearing, I decided to use this to my advantage.

"Like...?" I said, making my voice sound seductive giving me an entirely different tone and biting my lips. "How about this...?" I said then slowly unzipped my hoodie revealing my tank top that showed my entire stomach. His eyes watched me very intensely, with desire as I pulled off my jacket completely. I smiled, showing teeth at him as he lowered his weapon. On the inside I laughed thinking how easy it was to seduce men. "You wouldn't hurt a woman, would you?" I asked with a sad, almost childish tone but kept the seductive look on my face while tilting my head. He didn't say anything but since he had no longer had his gun pointing at me, I knew my plan was working. I began to walk, slowly towards him until I was an inch from his face. Knowing he was under my spell now since I was literally pressed up against him, I took the opportunity to make my move. I leaned in closer to his face, "You didn't answer my question?" I whispered my lips brushing against his. I smiled when he attempted to kiss me but I pulled back, waiting to see if he would talk.

"No" He whispered and leaned in.

"Good" I said back, "So this will be quick then" And with all my strength, I lifted my knee slamming it into his crotch before he could react. He groaned from the pain immediately and dropped to the ground. I took the moment to kick his gun across the floor. He surprised me by getting over his pain sooner than I thought, because he grabbed my leg right after I kicked, causing me to loose balance and slam my head against the hard floor. I let out a small groan at the migraine that shot threw my head. I quickly recovered and looked up to see the guy standing above me; he reached for me, pulling me up roughly and slamming against the wall.

"You bitch!" He spitted, pinning my wrists to the wall with his hands. "You're gonna regret that." He growled and slammed my head against the wall. Like before, I quickly recovered and looked him in the eyes.

"And you're gonna regret that" I said harshly and slammed my heel into his foot then head butted him as hard as I could, which was not the most pleasant move. He stumbled backwards, gripping his head and I did a fast turn, lifting my right leg, hitting him in the neck, knocking him down. When he was down, I caught my breath, staring at him. He had landed on his stomach and looked at me, pulling himself up. "Oh come on, stay down."

I commented, not wanting to fight anymore.

Remembering the crowbar, I glanced over seeing it still lying where I had left it. Looking at the man, I saw him glance in my earlier gaze spotting the crowbar and at that moment I knew we were thinking the same thing. Then the race was on. I took off running towards the weapon but fell on my face, only a foot away, because he grabbed my ankle.

Next the thing I knew, I was being flipped onto my back and he held me against the ground using his body weight. He used his hands to grip my throat and began to squeeze causing me to gasp but I wasn't giving in. I reached out as much as I could and mentally sighed in relief when I was able to grip the crowbar. Not a second later, I slammed the metal against his head, basically knocking him off. I then pushed him off and straddled him, still holding the crowbar.

The next thing I did was wrong and out of rage, I pressed the metal rod against his throat, putting pressure on his windpipe causing the more horrid gasps to leave his mouth. In the back of mind, part of me wanted to stop realizing that this guy's life was basically in the palm of my hand. But the other side, the one who hated to be pushed around, was telling me to keep going, to not let him win.

Even though I had wanted to finish him off, the sound of more footsteps coming up the stairs had stopped me from making a very bad thing, something I known I would have regretted. Seeing that the guy on the ground had passed out, I hurried over to the small corner, near the stairs and waited. Another man, armed and masked, walked by me, not even seeing me huddled in the corner as he went straight to the man that was done. I was going to ambush him from behind when I heard the sound of something moving above us but when I looked up, I didn't see anything.

Shrugging off the weird feeling I got in my stomach, I glanced towards the man who clearly had heard the same noise I did since he was looking up at the dark ceiling. Seeing this as a perfect moment to attack him, I was stunned to see a black caped figure drop from the ceiling, knocking the man to the ground, leaving him unconscious.

"What the hell...?" I muttered staring weirdly at him. Instead of waiting for him to catch me, I hurried to the ledge, but couldn't help myself by stilling a glance the dark figure... but he was gone.

Getting a chill through my spill, I hopped over the ledge and landed perfectly in a crouch. As soon as I hit the ground, I quickly hid behind a counter, not wanting the last guy to see me. On all fours, I crawled lowly to the ground, beside the showcases that held diamonds and jewels. As I came towards the end, the hostages came into view. The women gasped quietly seeing me; I held my finger to my lips again, hushing them.

"How many...?" I mouthed to the guy, who seemed like the only one stable enough to focus.

"He's the only one" He whispered and I shushed him quickly, not wanting to talk.

"Who are you talking to?" The last man demanded, and I closed my eyes briefly hearing the man approached them. Sitting up, I pressed my back against the showcase and waited for my time.

As the guy approached the edge of the showcase I was hiding behind, he didn't spot me while he focused on the hostages. Catching him off guard, I threw a punch at his crotch, being that it was at my level. He simply went down, groaning in my pain like the other guy. Without wasting another second, I stood up to walk over to the bag of jewels they had, when I was grabbed from behind. I glanced over to see the man I had seduced earlier. He had taken off his mask, revealing a pretty banged up face, plus he looked pissed. He had his arms wrapped around my body, pinning my arms against my sides, keeping me from moving.

"Did you think you were just going to be walking out of here, scratch free?" He said, and then roughly turned me towards him. "Hm, you didn't answer my question?" My eyes left his when I saw the second guy come down the stairs and stand behind him and then I heard the man I had punched, get up as well. I knew, if I needed to, I could take them all but in the position I was in; it would be a little harder. At this time, I could have sworn I saw a dark figure move across the back of room but I couldn't be too sure.

The guy shook me slightly, "Answer me!" He yelled

"No" I said bitterly, "I didn't expect on just walking out." I added, "I plan on taking those jewels" I said nodding to the side, "after kicking your ass, once again, then walking out, scratch free." I said then ended with a smirk. They all just chuckled, darkly.

"You may have won the first round, but it won't happen again." Green eyes said to me, and that was my nickname for the guy I beat us.

I smiled lightly, "Oh, your ass will be kicked again, whether it's by me..." I said then briefly glanced behind them, seeing the dark figure from earlier step out. "Or him" I added, causing green eyes to look in that direction, big mistake. Kneeing him in the stomach, he released my arms, letting me grab the back of his head, slamming it into glass on the showcase. The 'leader' grabbed me from behind and threw me backwards, causing me to slide across the floor and into the wall. I coughed slightly at the impact but my eyes went to the men, the leader attempted to charge at me but turned the other way, spotting mystery man. While still lying on the ground, I watched mysterious man take on all three men as though it was nothing. Although I'm sure all the padding and armor he had gave him an advantage. Snapping out my daze, glancing over at the bag, I realized this was my perfect time to take the jewels and escape.

Zipping and throwing their duffle bag over my shoulder, after checking to see how much jewelry they had taken, I looked towards the men. It was down to two robbers now so I figure he could handle himself just fine. Waving off the hostages with a salute, I crept towards the back door. As I open the door, I glanced back to see all of the robbers on the ground and the guy responsible locked eyes with me. After a few seconds of staring at the masked creature, I shrugged off the weird feeling in my stomach, turned away and hurried out the door. I knew that if that guy took out those robbers, he'd probably come after me next.

I was almost to the alley when I paused, cursing under my breath, remembering the cash I hid earlier. Rushing back to the dumpster, pulling off the boxes, I picked up my duffle bag. To my surprise, I was able to carry both bags with ease but I shouldn't be amazed, over the years I noticed that I was a lot stronger than your average female. For instant, the flat screens and most of the furniture in my living room and bedroom, we're not put there by movers.

I had only walked halfway down the alley when I heard the sound of trashcans and garbage rustling but I just thought it was the wind until I turned around and slammed into what felt like a brick wall. Not to my liking, I fell back from the impact and landed right on my ass, causing the bags to drop to my sides. I groaned, "Oh come on." I said, rubbing the back of my head. I was surprised I didn't have a concussion from how many times I had hit my head tonight.

When I got my composure back, my eyes noticed a pair of black boots in front of me and I had realized that it wasn't a wall I hit. My eyes slowly work their way up the boots to the mask. I had to admit I was a little freaked from the costume but for someone reason, looking at all the armor that basically outline this man's body, it was kind of hard not feel an attraction. "Hm" I said quietly giving a double look-over then noticed the black cloth connected to the back of his suit. "Nice cape" I commented in a teasing voice, but made sure it didn't sound like my natural tone.

He just stared down at me, his eyes burning into mine. After a moment of silence, I held my hand out, "Mind helping a girl out?" I asked sweeting through my lashes but even through mask, that covered pretty much all his face, except lips, I could tell he wasn't buying my act. I huffed, "I swear, there are no gentlemen in this town." I said my voice sounding as I felt disappointed then with no effort, I stood up while saying, "Does a woman have to do everything on her own?"

"Hand over the bags" He said in a gruff voice, my guess he was trying to disguise himself too.

I just chuckled lightly, "Yeah... that's just not going to happen." I stated and gave him another sweet smile on mine. "If I wouldn't give up these jewels to those low-life robbers, why would I just hand it over to you?"

"Because you're smart" He said, "You know that it's the right thing."

"The right thing..." I laughed at him, "The right thing would have been to not steal the jewels in the first place... but now that I've crossed that line, why go back?" I questioned with a simple shrug.

"You protected those people in there; you're not a bad guy." He said

"Yeah but I'm not so good either." I retorted then let me eyes trail down his body. "That's a nice suit by the way" I said taking a step closer, "Although I think I'd be more impress with... what's under the suit." I gave him my best smirk and usually guys fell under spell instantly but for some reason, he wasn't giving in. I titled my head confused and slightly frustrated, "Do you not find me attracted?" I said playing hurt.

"I don't give into temptation." He replied.

"Yet" I corrected and got enough nerve to actually chest armor. "But you will... they always do." Then catching me off guard, he gripped my hand, ripping it away from his chest.

"What game are you playing?" He said, looking deep into my eyes and soon I find myself practically swimming his blue pools.

After a second, I return to my usual charming self. "Why... do you want play with me?" I asked seductive, pushing myself up against him as he held onto my wrist tightly. And I had to give the man props, his eyes never faltered, they remained hard on me. My eyes drifted to his lips before returning to his eyes, "Oh I get it... you do like me." I said when I noticed him glancing my lips like I had done before. "That's why you don't want to be touched... afraid you'll give in?" I said as a challenge then whispered arrogantly "I have that effect on people" I had leaned in closer in attempt to seduce him or even kiss him but giggled instead, when he pushed me away after releasing my hand.

At that moment, I could hear cop sirens approaching the store and I knew I needed to leave now. Batman had looked towards the store, hearing them as well, so I took my window of opportunity to leave while he was distracted. Picking up the bags quietly and quickly, like I do, I ducked down and around him too quickly for him to realize, then took off running down the alley. When I reached the end, I turned back, meeting his eyes. I knew he could see me so I blew him a kiss, and then smirked before disappearing down the dark street into the night.

/\_◊_/\

When I had reached my apartment, fire escape, I took off my mask and walked up the steps until I reached my floor. I sat down before going in and opened both bags. I checked them both, money was all there and the jewels looked as sparkly as ever. Smiling, I closed them up and pushed open my window, carrying in the bags. Leaving them on floor, I shut the window quietly, locking it then closed the curtains. Without being loud, I made my way down the hallway, grabbing the key from the top part of the door and unlocking my door. Right as I stepped inside my room, I heard another door being opened so I quickly shut mine and relocked it. Standing completely still, I pressed my ear against the door and listened carefully. I heard a door being shut, so I figured that it was just either Janie or Laura using the bathroom. Sighing, I flicked on my bedside lamp and threw my bags underneath my bed along with my clothes. I needed to wash them but I couldn't just leave them out where someone could see them.

Walking into my bathroom, I took a quick shower, wanting nothing more than to get the scent of those robberies off me. The whole time I was in the shower, I couldn't get that guy out of my head... I mean what was he, anyway? I remembered his mask basically covered his entire face and it had pointed ears like a... bat? And he was in an all-black armored suit and I could tell by how he acted, that he was no criminal.

After my shower, I washed off all my make-up then changed into some clean clothes; a tank top and shorts pajama set.

I turned off my bathroom light and immediately crawled into bed. Usually I would go through the money and jewelry but not tonight, tonight I was too tired. As I turned off my lamp, I saw my clock read that it was only 12:45am.

My body was sore as I stretched off, in my sheets, laying on my back now.

As I looked up at the dark ceiling, I thought about the mysterious guy again. How I got the weirdest feeling before, during and after seeing him. There was something about him. I had never once thought about a guy for than a second since Charles... but this guy... this bat figure... he was all that was on my mind.

_'A man who portrays a bat...'_ I thought and then lightly smiled as a name came to mind. I turned back onto my side, closed my eyes but the smile never fell. "You'll give into me" I said out loud, "I will get that kiss... Batman" I finished before drifting off into a deep sleep.


	3. Chapter 2

**Beyond the Mask**

**Chapter Two**

"Good morning" I said stretching my arms with a yawn as I entered the kitchen, seeing Laura on my laptop while sitting at the bar.

"Good morning" She replied as I approached Janie, who was her eating cereal.

"And good morning to you, Kitten" I said kissing the top of her head before walking to the fridge, opening the doors and scoffed. "Well, I see someone went shopping." I said seeing how full my fridge was when only yesterday, it was completely empty. "How long was I sleeping?"

"I knocked on your door this morning and you didn't answer. I would have walked in to wake you but your door was locked" She stated, causing me to pause when I heard the suspicion. Resuming my search for something to drink, I grabbed the milk carton.

"Locked?" I repeated like it was ridiculously. "That's weird." I commented nonchalantly closing the fridge then opening and drinking straight from the cartoon as I turned towards her.

"Yeah... so did you sleep well?" Laura asked looking back to the computer screen and something was off without she was acting. She seemed like she knew something I didn't and that didn't sit well with me.

I glanced at the clock, "Well since it's after ten, I'd say I sleep pretty well, why do you ask?" I questioned, taking another sip from the cartoon.

"Have you seen the news?" She asked, not even looking at me.

"No?" I replied, my eyebrows furrowed

She clicked a button loudly before turning the laptop in my direction. I walked towards the counter and looked at the article, GOTHAM'S GLOBE.

The headlines read, "NEW CAT BURGLAR, TWISTED HERO OR CRIMINAL?" I had to hold back a scoff while I read on. "Late last night, Citizen's bank was robbed after hours. There were no reports of the robbery until police investigated yet another robbery at Harry Winston's jewelry store, where police caught and arrested three known robbers who had been left beaten and unconscious. Criminals were questioned early this morning about their injuries. Jacob McNeill, aka 'J', responded by saying, "Some feisty bitch in black" The criminals have also claimed the city's dark knight "Batman" was at the scene as well.

But who is this unknown woman in black, who made off with the jewels and cash? Is she Gotham's new cat burglar? If so, what does that make her for stopping a robbery just to have her own?

Is she a twisted hero... or just another criminal?"

"Feisty bitch in black" I repeated receiving a glare from Laura since I had just cussed in front of Kitten, "That's nice." I added, "Why are you showing me this? I asked

She studied my face for a moment before saying, "I just thought you'd liked to know." She said then looked to Janie, avoiding my eye contact. "Hey, why don't you go watch TV, we'll be leaving a couple minutes." She said, Janie pushed her bowl signaling she was done and left the room without a word.

"What's going on, Laura?" I said watching her intensely.

She looked hesitate but she looked at me anyway, "Over the past five years, I've noticed... how different you've been acting. I don't know why or what the reason is and I've never questioned you."

"So this is just you having a heart-to-heart?" I retorted

"No, this is me talking to my sister because I'm worried about her" She asked, looking hurt. "Five years ago, you never would have kept anything from me and you never had this attitude."

"I'm not the same person I was five years ago, Laura. People change." I stated, she just looked at me as if she was just begging me to let her in.

"What happen to you?" She asked softly. "You never talk about what happened that night. You've never told me what went down between you and Charles... you don't tell anything anymore."

"There's nothing to tell." I replied.

Laura looked like she was on the verge of tears, she lightly shook her head. "Please, Lizzie, don't shut me out" She said, while looking at her face expression I wanted to tell her but she wouldn't understand.

"I'm not shutting you out." I stated

"Yes, you are. Every time I ask you something about your day or how you're able to buy the things you do, you give me a vague answer."

"I don't do much in a day to even talk about and I buy what I can afford." I explained

"How do you afford all of it?" She asked

"All of what?" I asked

She sighed, "Do you think I'm an idiot, Lizzie? Did you think I hadn't realized all the new expensive little appliances that you buy?" She said, I kept my mouth shut. "Like how you were able to get first class plane tickets for Janie and me? They have to be at least a thousand dollars each. Not to mention, how you can afford this place?" She said motion around with her hands.

"I can afford this place" I said coolly.

"How...?" She questioned in almost a demand. "And don't give them that 'banking' shit." She snapped, taking the words from mouth before I could say them, "You haven't had a job in five years." She said and then added "Which I'm starting to see that it's a part of the secret that you're keeping from me, am I right?" She asked but judging by her tone, I knew it was rhetorical. She then sighed, all anger disappearing from her face. Her scowl softens, "Look... as much as I want to know what's going on, I'll have to understand that you don't want to tell me, whether because you can't or you just don't want to." She said, her voice lowered "But just don't lie to me" She pleaded. After a moment, I slowly nodded. She gave me a nod in return and stood up, heading towards the hallway but stopped. She turned around staring straight at me, "I need you to answer one question for me though." She said, I agreed "Are you not telling me... because you don't trust me to keep whatever it is secret?" She asked

My face softens slightly but remains serious as I spoke, "I can't tell you... because I do trust you to keep it a secret... no matter the cost." I said my voice choked slightly. "And I could never ask you to do that."

She watched me carefully for a moment, processing my words, and then gave me a small nod before walking down the hallway.

I just stood there, palms pressed against the counter while thinking. I never realized how much Laura was being affected by my secret, but I wouldn't change what I said. I couldn't tell her what I was doing because then would involve her and if she was involved so was Janie. And there was no way in hell I would let something happen to either of them.

/\_◊_/\

As I packed my bag, which was basically a backpack version of a leather duffle bag, I heard a tap on my open door. I glanced over my shoulder seeing Laura, who gave me a small smile. "Hey"

"Hey... are you leaving?" I asked, as I returned to my bag, zipping it up then sitting on my bed. I began slipping on my leather boots that went perfectly with my dark turquoise silk V-neck and black biker pants.

"Yeah, our plane leaves in less than an hour, so we're heading out now." She explained, I just strapped my boots and stood up, opening my wardrobe, pulling out a stretch-denim biker jacket.

Earlier this morning, before leaving my room, I made sure to put all the cash and jewels away under the board in my wardrobe, hidden.

"Nice necklace" Laura said as I turned back towards her putting on my jacket, I followed her gaze. _Okay, so maybe not all the jewels were hidden_, I thought. She was talking about the white gold cross necklace I had decided to wear. The cross had small diamonds on it but it wasn't flashy, besides it wasn't like someone would know that I had stolen it just by seeing it.

"Thanks" I said zipping my jacket up half way, hiding the cross.

"So where are you headed?" Laura asked cautiously while taking a few steps into my room, she was trying not to push me too much into talking.

"I was thinking about going to the old auto shop downtown; see if I can get a job." I stated, picking up my cell phone from the nightstand.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Laura expression was combined with mixed expressions; surprise, sadness, and confusion.

"Dad's old auto shop...?" She asked her voice soft and low. I gulped hearing her say that word but I quickly swallowed the lump in the back of my throat.

"Yeah" I manage to choke out with an emotionless expression and tone. "It's on 45th street right?" I asked.

"Yeah" She confirmed. Without another word, I grabbed my bag and went to leave but Laura caught me by the arm. "Do you want to talk about it?" She asked, but I kept my face forward.

"You should go, you don't want to miss your flight" I said and shrugged off her hand, walking down the hallway, grabbing my keys. Right as I open the door, I stopped.

"Aunt Lizzie?" I turned around seeing Janie; she looked worried as she stared at me. "Why you look so sad?" She asked as I bent down to her level, brushing hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear.

"Nothing, Kitten, nothing at all. I'll see you soon, okay?" She nodded and gave me a tight hug. I closed my eyes briefly hugging her, I smiled instantly feeling better. As I stood back up, I looked to Laura "Lock up when you leave" was all I said before walking out the door as quickly as I could.

/\_◊_/\

Standing in front of the old building, I stared at the sign, building up the nerves to walk inside the open doors. There were definitely people there; I could hear the sound of tools and machines being used. Looking at the sign, I sighed, 'Kyle's Auto Pairs, Inc.'

I smiled, glad that no one had changed the name even though it had been ten years now. Taking a deep breath, I walked into the shop. As soon as I stepped in, it was like walking down memory lane. Everything looked like the same. The sound of people using the blow torch, metal clacking together and old 80's rock music played on the stereo. I smiled lightly hearing "White Wedding" by Billy Idol play. I used to love this song when I was little. All the workers seem too busy to even notice me as I walked around the shop.

I glanced at the workers under cars, fixing whatever was wrong with them. I saw a man in the corner, using the blow torch on something and another guy behind a counter, signing papers. From where I stood, and with his head down toward the table, I could have sworn he looked familiar but I couldn't tell. Instead of confronting him, I just continued my little tour. Catching my eye, I walked over to an old photo. I sadly smiled; take the frame gently off the walk and staring at it. It was a picture of my mom and dad, me and my sister. Laura was no older than six and I was about to be ten, I remember this photo being taken a couple months before my mom left. My father had it framed after that and put in his shop like it was some kind of reward. I always loved my father and I was crushed when he died. I impacted me more than Laura, although I know she missed him too.

"Hey!" I heard someone yell, but didn't think it was at me. "You can't take stuff off the walks" The voice said I turned around seeing the man from the counter earlier, walking towards me. He had an annoyed expression until he looked at my face, then it froze. "Elizabeth?" He said after a few moments causing me to look confused, "Little Lizzie, is that you?" He said and at the moment when he gave a wide grin, I smiled as well, memories coming back.

"Rick?" I said and walked towards him. We both gave a big hug, saying how good it was to see each other. "How are you?" I asked, pulling away

"I'm good." He said then looked at me fully. "Look at you- you're all grown up." He gave me a look-over "And you're definitely not little anymore." He teased; I gave a fake gasp and slapped his arm playfully causing him to chuckle. "You look great" He added, sounding more mature.

"Thank you, you too" I said

"You know, I'm glad you're here. I need to show you something" He said and held out his hand. Since I knew he wouldn't do anything harmful, I took his hand and walked with him to wherever it was he was leading us.

"So, how's your mom?" I asked remembering the last time I spoke with Rick, he's my mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"She's was good. She survived the cancer but not the heart attack that happened a couple years back." He said, I squeezed his hand lightly.

"I'm so sorry" I said, feeling bad for mentioning her.

"It's okay" He said coolly, "It's in the past, I like to think she's in a better place now." He said causing me to smile.

"You're so optimistic about death." I replied

He smiled, "It's the best way to live" He commented and we both chuckled lightly.

"How's the shop anyway?" I asked, "I hadn't been here since... well you know." I said, finding it hard to even speak the words.

He paused, clearly knowing what I was talking about before speaking, "Yeah... it's good." He said hesitate.

"What is it?" I asked, "What's wrong?" I stopped walking and stood in front of him.

He sighed, "Nothing you need to worry about."

"It's my dad's shop, Rick. Tell me what's going on." I said, and with another sigh, he caved.

"Okay... we have to sell the place" He said, causing my face to drop.

"What? Why?" I asked

"We're not getting enough business anymore, and no clients, no money." He said, I sighed.

"What if I chipped in? I have money" I said remembering all cash and jewels I had.

Rick immediately shook his head, "No, no way. I'm not taking your money."

"Wait a second." I said, "This is still my dad's place right?" I asked, he nodded "Meaning that it's mine too..." He seemed to catch what I was saying. "So you can't sell without my permission." I said with a smile, crossing my arms over my chest.

"That may be true but doesn't change the fact that we're still going to lose this place." He explained, "I'm sorry."

I sighed; I would find a way to get him that money. "How much do you need?"

"A little over 20,000, I believe." He said

"That's it?" I asked, thinking it would be more.

He furrowed his eyebrows, "That's it? Have you recently come into a load of cash where that's not a lot to pay?" He asked

"Well, kind of, yeah." I admitted.

He chuckled, "Well, that's great for you."

"Well, it's kind of great for both us if you let me help." He held his hand out, telling me no.

"Sorry, I'm not taking hand-outs." Rick said walking passed me. "Now come on, I need to show you something" He said walking towards a back door, which he slid open.

"It's not a hand out if I own the place" I muttered to myself following him behind him. He flicked on the lights revealing the room to where they kept storage.

"Do you remember that old motorcycle your dad had?" He asked, I nodded "Well, before he... passed," He started, choosing his words carefully. "He had been finding parts for it but it didn't get to finish it." Rick said walking over to a covered item, which I could tell was a bike. "Over the years, I've tried to find more pieces... it's not done yet but..." He said then pulled over the tarp and I sucked in air.

"Oh my god" I said staring down at my dad's old bike. "You kept it all these years?"

He gave a shrug, "Yeah, I mean it was your dad's and it was important to him, he was important me so I figured, why not?" He said, sending me a smile.

"Wow..." I walked towards the bike and ran my hand over the seat. "I remember the first time my dad took me on a ride. I love it. From that day on, I wanted my own." I said, and chuckled at the memory. "And I now do, in fact." I said.

"Oh really...? What kind?" He asked

"2010 Kawasaki" I said causing him to basically choke on the air he was breathing.

"How much money do you have exactly?" I smiled at his question.

"Enough to get by" I said vaguely.

"So what kind of job do you have?" He asked as I circled the bike.

"I used to be in banking." I said and felt the need to snickered but held back.

"Used to...?" He repeated

"Yeah, I recently quit" I said then remembered why I was originally here. "And since you're not going to let me pay...?" Receiving a shake of his head, answering my question, I continued. "Maybe you can at least hire me"

"I don't know, we're low on cash, I wouldn't be able to pay much." He said

"You don't have to pay me at all, I'll work for free." He furrowed his eyebrows.

"Are you sure?" I nodded

"I could be really helpful. I remember pretty much everything my father taught me about working with vehicles plus I kind of miss hanging out here." I said and gave him an almost pleading look.

He watched me intensely for a second before sighing. "Okay, you're hired." He said and I smiled widely. "When can you start?" He asked

"How about today...?" I asked and he smiled lightly, with a nod.

"Okay, that works. Let's go introduce you to the boys" He said, placing an arm around my shoulder and leading back to the front.

As we walked, I glanced back at my dad's bike.

I was going to finish that bike one day... in honor of my dad.

/\_◊_/\

"Hey, Lizzie" Rick yelled, causing me looked up, "Can you hand me a wrench?"

"Yeah, sure" I said, standing up from my chair and walking over to him. I reached into his toolbox, pulling out a wrench and handed to him. "There you go."

"Thanks" He said as he scooting half way under the car he was fixing, so I was still able to see his face from where I was standing. "So how do you like working here?" He asked, while using the wrench to tightening a loose bolt.

"It's good, I like it." I responded, using his rag to clean some of the oil off my hands. I had been working on repairing a car's engine all morning, so my hands were a little bit dirty. "A little dirtier than I'm used to, but I'm not complaining" I commented.

"A lot better than banking though, right?" He asked, pausing to give me a smile.

I chuckled, "Yeah, a lot better than 'banking'."

And honestly, it was. I had been working here for over two weeks and I loved it. I noticed that working with cars reminded me of when I was younger and it was relaxed me. I hadn't thought about robbing a bank or jewelry store since I started here. Which was probably best, I wanted to stay under the radar for a while. But I had to admit, I did miss that 'Batman' guy I ran into. I had wanted to see him again but since I wasn't really in the mood to steal, the odds of running into him were slim.

"So do you need any help?" I asked, bending down to his level.

"Actually, can you put pressure on this?" I nodded and lie down next to him and put pressure where he had pointed to and held it there until he was able to tighten the bolt completely. He let out a huge sigh when he was done, "Thanks" He said

"No problem" I said and crawled out from under the hood of the car and stood up.

"I guess you're of use, after all." I made a scoff sound and kicked his foot lightly as revenge. He just chuckled and stood up.

"Well, I'm finished here; do you think you can fix that engine by tonight?" He asked me, I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm about done." I said, "I can install it, if you want?" I offered

He shook his head, "I don't know, it's kind of heavy." I scoffed at him

"No, it's not" I said, "Who do you think move it to that table?" I asked

"You picked that up?" He asked, crossing his arms over his chest a shady expression.

"I'm abnormal strong, okay?" I said and it was true. Strength was a bonus with my abilities. I had thought I was only a stronger than an average woman until I attempted to pick up the engine and was able to carry it. "So do you want to re-install or not?" I asked

"Nah," He said, "I'll do tonight. I don't want to risk you dropping it and breaking a nail." He said in a mocking tone, I gave him a playful glare.

"I don't have any nails" I retorted, glancing at my hands. I had clipped them short after my first day, because in fact I had broken a nail.

"I'm going out for lunch, want anything?" He asked ignoring my last remark.

"Hamburger...?" I offered

"I like the way you think, Kyle" He said and I rolled my eyes at him calling me by my last name. As soon as he left, I happen to look down seeing a dark liquid coming from under the vehicle. I crouched down, examining underneath the car and sighed.

And he worries about me, I thought as I saw a bolt he had forgotten to tighten so oil was leaking out.

Grabbing the wrench, I crawled underneath the car, lying on my back and began tighten it for him.

"There we go" I said, proud of myself. I would have to remember to rub this into Rick's face when he got back. Of course, I would wait until after he gave me my food. Sighing, I just stayed there for a moment; I was looking over everything making sure Rick didn't miss anything else.

As I scanned the area of the vehicle, I could have sworn I heard footsteps. "Your back quick" I said thinking it was Rick but when I looked down towards the front of the car, I saw a pair of nice leather shoes standing in front of my boots. "Not Rick" I muttered. "Are you a salesman?" I asked

"No" He responded and judging by his voice, he was older.

"Lawyer...?" I asked

"No" He said with a light chuckle, clearly amused by my questioning.

"Well, in that case" I said moving from under the car, "How can I help you?" I asked with a kind smile as I returned the wrench into Rick's toolbox.

"Is Rick Nelson here?" He asked and I took in the fact that he was wearing a nice suit as well.

"You just missed him" I said, "But is there anything I can do for you?" I asked

"Yes, can you tell Mr. Nelson to give me a call? I'm offering to play the place." He said, I made an 'ah' face.

"And you are...?" I said dragging it out.

"Oh, I'm sorry, my name is Lucius Fox, I'm from Wayne Enterprises." He held out his hand but instead I just kind of chuckled.

"I'd shake your hand but..." I lifted mine showing him all the oil. He immediately nodded with a small chuckle himself, understanding.

"I've been in her before but I don't remember seeing you." He stated

"I've only recently been working here." I said and then remembered that I had introduced. "I'm Elizabeth Kyle, by the way. But everyone calls me Lizzie" I had noticed as soon as I said my name, his face scrunched up.

"Kyle?" He repeated, "Not Christopher Kyle's daughter?" He said

I nodded, "That would be my dad, yeah. Did you know him?" I asked

"Briefly but he was a nice guy." He said and I nodded at his commented giving a sad smile.

"Yeah, he was."

"Yeah, it was shamed what happened to him." I just awkwardly nodded. He seems to take the hint I didn't want to talk about it so he changed the subject. "So can you give Mr. Nelson the message?"

"Which was what exactly?" I asked, amused.

"I had talked to him before about making an offer on this shop and now Mr. Wayne wants to buy it." He said.

I lightly shook my head, "Well, I hate to break it to you Mr. Fox, but this place isn't for sale anymore."

"Since when...?" He asked curiosity.

I quickly responded with "Since I own it".

"Well, I have to say I'm not disappointed. I like this shop; it would be a shame to see it go." I nodded, giving a tight smile. "But I have to say, Mr. Wayne may not share my feelings"

"Now that is a shame" I remarked sarcastically, not really caring how this 'Mr. Wayne' felt.

"Well, I'll be off then. It was nice seeing you again Lizzie and I'll make sure to tell Mr. Wayne the news." We both shared a smile.

"It was nice seeing you too." I replied even though I never really remembered him to begin with then added "And make to tell Mr. Wayne I said hi." I said with humor, "And to kiss my ass" I muttered too low for anyone to hear. I saw Mr. Fox stop at the door and I had hoped he didn't hear me.

"You know what I just remembered" He said, turning around, heading back towards me. "We have an opening for an Engineer Specialist in my department; you wouldn't happen to be interest, would you?" He said and I wasn't going to lie. The idea did have a ring to it but I liked working here and I didn't like who this 'Mr. Wayne' was already so I knew I wouldn't like working for him.

"I don't know..." I said, he gave me a look of almost plead as if he was trying to guilt me into it. "What department are you in?"

"Applied Sciences" He stated

"Applied Sciences need an engineer?" I asked not sure I was buying whatever crap he was selling.

"Yes, well it's not all science. We need someone to be in charge of design and creating supplies. Would you be interested?" He asked, and I bit my lip. I did like designing and creating things. And I was really good with my hands. I'm sure this was one of those opportunities that would be like one in a lifetime for most people but I still wasn't too sure. Clearly, Mr. Fox could read face expression because he added, "Pays is good, so are the hours and I have to say myself, that if you love working with this." He said motion towards the shop, "You'd love working in Applied Sciences. We deal with all kinds of things." He said, trying to sell the deal.

I had picked up a shop rag and began cleaning my hands while thinking about it. "Well, that sounds nice but if I work there, I can't really work here." I explained.

"I'm sure we can go over a plan that satisfies your needs" He said causing me to chuckle lightly, remembering Alicia from the bank.

"Um, how do you know I would be any good?" I asked,

"Like I said, I knew your father and if you know half the hard worker he was you'll do great." I gave a tight smile, not sure if he was selling more crap.

"Alright" I said tiredly, "Why not...?" I said giving him a small genuine smile.

He complied by smiling as well, "That's great" He said, "Why don't you come by tomorrow after afternoon and I'll show you around the place?" I nodded; he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card, handing it to me. "There you go" He said, I glanced at the card seeing 'Wayne Enterprises' tattooed across the top of the card, it had an address and phone number.

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow then." I said and he gave me a wave before leaving. Right as he turned the corner I said, "Oh wait, what do I-" Then paused when he was gone, "... wear?" I finished to myself since no one was around. I wasn't sure if there was a dress code or not. But I was pretty sure that old jeans, a loose tank top and military boots weren't exactly suitable.

Only a couple minutes after Mr. Fox left, Rick came back, and right at the same time I had finally got all the oil from underneath my nails. "Hey, got my burger?" I asked as soon as I saw him. He nodded, sitting down the bag on the table. We started to pull out our food, "So I think you've lost your touch, Rick" I said before taking a bite from my burger, Rick did the same.

He glanced over at me, mouth full of food and a confusion look. "My-what...?" He said and the expression on his face was priceless.

I laughed shortly before explaining, "You forgotten to tighten all the bolts on oil filter, it was leaking when you left."

"What?" He said glancing down at the car, looking for the leak.

"Oh, it's okay now, I fixed it." I said then took another bite of my hamburger.

"Yeah, I'm sure you did" He said and I paused chewing and looked at him.

"What does that mean?" I said defensively. He shrugged at my question, "I fixed it" I repeated

"Sure, you fixed it" He said then muttered "If it makes you feel better" taking another bite of his food.

I looked around at him and if looks could kill, "Oh seriously?" I said, "Do you see that?" I said pointing to the dried oil on the ground that had come from the leak. "That's from the leak."

"No, it isn't. That was there before I left." He said, looking at me and I gaped at him. I seriously wanted to kick his ass.

"No, it wasn't!" I practically yelled causing him to surrender.

"Okay, okay." He said and began to walk away, "Whatever makes you feel better" He said causing me to grab some French fries and throw them at him. He blocked most of them but a few still hit him. I chuckled and continued eating.

"Oh, Mr. Fox dropped by" I said suddenly, causing Rick's face to drop slightly.

"Really...? What did he say?" He asked, but I knew he already had a good idea.

"He offered to buy the shop." Rick nodded taking a sip of his soda, he looked disappointed. "But I told him to tell Mr. Wayne that this place isn't for sale" Rick looked over at me, stunned.

"You did?" I nodded

"We're not losing this shop, especially to some billionaire." I said, "But since we're on the subject, I have to tell you something else. Mr. Fox offered me a job in his department."

He looked over at me, "Really...? What kind of job?"

"Engineer specialist" I told him, "But I'm still not sure if I'm gonna take it or not"

"You need to take it" He said urgently, "This is a one in lifetime type job" I rolled my eyes at his words, since I had already thought that. "I'm serious" He added, "I want you to take it and so would have your dad"

"You don't know what my dad would have wanted." I pointed out

He sighed, "Yes, I do. He wanted the best for you and you're better off working at Wayne Enterprises than here."

"I love working here" I stated

"I know but still."

After thinking it over, I sighed. "Fine, I'll take the job when I go up there tomorrow." I said, "But you have to do something for me in return."

He nodded, "What do you want?"

"Let me pay you." He began to shake his head, "Please, just enough for you to keep the shop opened, please?" I said, "If you don't let me, I'm not taking the job." I stated and he stared long and hard at me before letting out a tired breathe.

"Fine" He said, "But just enough to pay off the fines and nothing more" He stated and I nodded in agreement then smiled when he return to eating. I had just won a battle I had been working on since I started here.

During the rest of the day, I remembered that Thomas Wayne died years ago so I wondered who 'Mr. Wayne' was in charge now. I think Thomas had a son but I couldn't remember what his name was.

I shrugged it off, thinking I'll just find out tomorrow.


	4. Chapter 3

Beyond the Mask

Chapter Three

After getting dressed this morning in something simple but elegant, I brushed my hair and lightly curled it, giving me a waving look. Before leaving, I looked over my outfit in the floor length mirror in my bathroom.

I had put on a white Cavendish shirt with a thin black belt around my stomach, dark denim skinny jeans and black ballerina flats. For accessories, I choose a black diamond watch, tan colored pearl earrings, and the same diamond cross necklace I had been wearing for the past couple weeks since I stole it. To carry my personal items, I picked out a black cross-body shoulder bag that went perfect with my outfit. I made sure the cross necklace was inside my shirt and not hanging out in the open, not that I had anything to hide, I just didn't want to attract any attention to me. Someone might get suspicious about the fact that I can afford this kind of jewelry when technically I have no paying job. I could only use the excuse "It was a gift" so many times.

When I reached the door, I picked up my iPhone, slipped on my gray Ray Bans then locked up my apartment. Instead of using my bike, I decided to just take a cab.

"Wayne Enterprises...?" I said, not sure what the address was. I had forgotten to grab the card Mr. Fox had handed me the other day.

The taxi driver clearly knew where the building was because he just nodded at me and began driving. I checked my emails and messages while I rode in the car. I had about three text messages from my sister, which included a photo of her and Janie. I smiled sadly at the photo; I missed them terribly since I hadn't seen them once for over two weeks. And since I had lived with Laura and Janie for five years, it was a huge transition for me. But in a way, I liked it. I was on my own and it was nice to have me-time, although I wouldn't mind hanging out with Janie or Laura anytime. I quickly sent a message to Laura, telling her how I loved the photo, how much I missed them and I couldn't wait for them to visit soon. Laura replied back telling me that she was going to come by next week. I agreed to the timing and clicked off my phone at the same time I noticed that cab driver slow down before pulling to the side. Looking out the window, I stared up at the building the cab driver had parked in front of. It had to be at least thirty stories tall, maybe taller.

I pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to the driver while saying "I'll give you another hundred, if you stay here while I go in." He nodded, and went to take the a hundred but I pulled it back slightly. "I'm serious, if I come back and you're gone, I will hunt you down..." I said then glance at his picture I.D., seeing his name. "Raymond Cruz" I added, making it clear that I now knew his name. "You got it?" He nodded rapidly and gave me a small friendly smile as I handed him the hundred dollar bill. I just stepped out of the car and walked towards the building. I chuckled as soon as I closed the door. The only reason I would have even threaten the guy was because I could tell he wasn't the 'brave' type. The ones who are easily intimidated and usually follow whoever takes charge, those kinds of people.

I slowed my pace as I reached the entrance, staring up at the name, Wayne Enterprises, written across the doorway and then passed through the doors. As I entered the building, I immediately headed to the front desk where a short red head woman, who was on the computer, sat in a chair.

"Can I help you?" She asked, not looking up from her screen, as soon as I reached her.

"Yes, I have an appointment with a Mr. Fox...?" I said to her, not really sure if it was an appointment.

"Name...?" She said bluntly, still not making eye contact.

"Elizabeth Kyle" I said then quickly added, "but it might be under Lizzie" She paused for a moment from typing when I said that, huffed then carried on. I gave her a slight glare before rolling my eyes.

"Take the elevator to the basement, I'll tell him you're coming down." She said, eyes on screen the entire time.

I gave a tight smile, "Thanks so much" I said sarcastically as I begin to walk. "Bitch" I said, not even trying to whisper the word when I reached the elevator.

"Bad day...?" My head immediately snapped to the side of me, seeing a man approaching the elevator too and then stood next to me. For only a moment, I couldn't help but give him a look-over. He was wearing a nice, and surely expensive, dark suit. His hair was perfectly coiffed, nicely build and a stunning smile. I quickly recovered from my split second gawking.

"Excuse me?" I said, referring to his earlier question.

"Bad day...?" He repeated, his eyes flickering to me briefly.

"No, my day is fine." I said to the stranger but he didn't look convinced.

"Hm" He said amused causing me to give him a look

"What?" I asked

"Nothing, it just when someone calls someone else a 'bitch', I just assume their having a bad day..." He said then gave me a look of curiosity mixed with arrogance.

I half chuckled, "I did not..." I started but he cut me off.

"I heard you" He countered with a knowing smile.

"...mean to say it so loudly." I added when I knew I had been busted, causing us both to chuckle.

When the elevator dings, we both stepped forward but the man stopped, allowing me to pass. He even held the elevator, keeping it from shutting. He gave me a kind smile while I walked passed him and leaned against the back of the wall. He stood a foot in front of me, "What floor?" He asked

"Um, basement...?" I said and apparently there was a button for that since he pushed one and leaned against the wall as well, next to me.

It was completely silent and I kept thinking it was unusually how an elevator that was originally on the first floor, would take so long to get to the basement. After a few seconds, it had dawned on me that the man didn't push any buttons.

"So I'm guessing you're going to basement too?"

He looked over at me as soon as I spoke, "Yes, visiting a friend." He said, and I nodded looking at the elevator doors, waiting. The silence was very awkward; at least it was to me. I kept glancing at the man, studying him. He seemed so familiar but I just couldn't pin point where I had seen him before. When he glanced at me, I casually looked away seeming bored.

"Nervous...?" He said.

"Hm...?" I responded then followed his gaze to my hand, where my fingers twitched against the outer thigh. "Oh, kind of." I admitted

"So I take it, it's your first day." He said

"Uh, actually I'm here for an interview... or least I think that's what it is." I said staring off, biting my lip.

He watched me for another second before looking off. It became quiet again and I prayed the elevator doors would open, like right now.

"So, you're going to be working in Applied Sciences?" He asked, his eyes connecting with mine.

"Maybe, I haven't decided yet." I explained, he nodded "So do you work here?" I asked

"Uh, yeah, something like that." He commented while chuckling softly. I watched him carefully, wondering what was so funny about my question. He looked over, catching me staring. "What?" He asked

"Nothing, it's just you look familiar to me, that's all." I said

He seems to get a kick out of that, "You don't know who I am?" He asked

"Uh," I said staring at him and shook my head, "No... Should I?" I asked

"Well, it's not required" He commented then went silent.

"So you are...?" I edged after a moment of silence.

"Oh, sorry, I'm Bruce" He said holding his hand out, I took it softly.

"Lizzie" I said with a small smile, thinking about his name. It sounded familiar to me too but I still couldn't place it. As he stared at me, I felt my stomach turn slightly as my nerves being to rise. I had this weird feeling that went through my skin as my hand collided with his. I felt my breathing harden from his intense stare, so I casually pulled my hand from his and looked away. We both seem to snap back into reality and clear our throats right as the elevator doors finally opened.

"After you" He said and motion for me to step out and once I did, he followed behind me. As soon as you stepped off the elevator, the entire bottom floor is visible. I could see boxes, all different sizes, spread around the entire room. It was definitely the basement of the building. "So, what do you think of Wayne Enterprises, so far?" Bruce asked and I glanced at him briefly before answering.

"It's okay" I said coolly, causing him to crack a smile.

"Well, I think you'll like working for Fox." He commented and I nodded

"Yeah, I have no problem with him being my boss; it's who he works for that I'm not a fan of."

"Really...?" He said hesitating, "You don't like Mr. Wayne?" He asked

"I haven't met him but from what I can gather, he's not worth meeting."

Bruce seemed taken aback but still asked, "Why's that?" He asked, glancing at me.

"Well, he's trying to buy my dad's old workshop but instead of coming to talk to me in person, out of respect, he sends one of his employees to do it for him. He clearly doesn't care." I said, he nodded along "Plus, I hear he's just some spoiled playboy, who's only back to claim his trust fund." I added, he gave a tight smile but there was something about his expression that had change. It seemed a little less arrogant and slightly bruised but I couldn't figure out why.

Out of nowhere, he stopped walking so I did the same, turning my body towards him. I gave him a strange look, wondering what was wrong.

"Do you really think that way about him?" He asked with a hurt expression and I couldn't place why. I stared at him for a moment.

"Yeah... but I could wrong, I guess." I said shrugging my shoulders, and then gazed at him intensely. "Why do you care what I think of him?" I asked but before he could answer, someone else spoke.

"Oh, Miss Kyle, you came!" I looked over my shoulder seeing Mr. Fox walking towards us. "I knew you would." He said with a kind smile.

I returned the smile, "Well, I'm a woman of my word." I said mocking the original phrase.

Lucius looked over at Bruce, keeping the smile. "Mr. Wayne, I didn't expect to see you to show." He said causing my eyes to go wide. I kept my face away from Bruce for a moment, briefly closing my eyes, feeling like an idiot. I then looked over, Bruce was smiling at Fox.

"I thought I would stop by for a visit, and ran into Miss Kyle on the elevator." He explained. When he looked at me, I lightly shook my head, feeling slightly betrayed and used.

"You're Bruce Wayne" I said slowly

"Yeah" He said shortly

"Unbelievable" I muttered, "You lied to me"

"Now, I didn't lie. I just didn't tell you my last name."

"Right, so you didn't lie, you just tricked me." I said, with an annoyed tone.

"I wouldn't use the word 'trick'." He said

"Then what word would you use, Mr. Wayne?" I said, saying his name bitterly.

He didn't say anything but I could see regret in his eyes, unfortunately it didn't make me any less angry.

It was got quiet again and this time the tension was thick. So thick, a knife couldn't even cut through it. After giving him another scowl, I looked away from Bruce, trying to keep my blood pressure from rising.

"So, um, was there something I could help you with Mr. Wayne?" Fox asked, clearing his throat, in an attempt to get over the awkwardness.

"Yes, but I can come back later." He answered, his eyes watching me but I couldn't read the expression. "I'll leave you to it." He said to Fox and then giving me another glance before walking off. Mr. Fox didn't speak until Bruce was on the elevator and the doors closed.

"Not the best way to get on the boss' good side."

"If he even has one" I retorted in a muttered, but Fox heard me.

"He's not so bad once you get to know him" Fox commented then lightly touched my arm, pulling me with him as he walked. "Now, allow me to show you around."

/\_◊_/\

"So what do you think, so far?" Mr. Fox asked as we came back to his 'office'. It wasn't much of an office, just a desk with a computer.

"I like it" I admitted, "But I have to say, I expected to be more..." I looked around, "Science-y?" I said and we both shared a small chuckle.

"Yes, well, our CEO feels that Applied Sciences is a dead end, so there would be no point in upgrading the department." He explained

"The CEO, as in Bruce...?" I asked softly. Over the time it took for Fox to show me around the whole floor, my blood pressure had gone down. I hated being lied, tricked or betrayed to. When it happened I could help but get mad and I never hid it well... or at all.

"Mr. Wayne isn't the CEO, William Earle is. He took over after Bruce's father died." Fox explained

I nodded along, "I haven't met Mr. Earle yet." I said then furrowed my eyebrows. "If he thinks it's a dead end, why hire me?" I asked

"Mr. Wayne and I are in need of an engineer." He said vaguely

"For what...?" I questioned

"Mr. Wayne is an adventurist man and requires certain gadgets to be made for his trips." Mr. Fox explained, more vaguely than before. I was guessing there was a secret about Bruce Wayne that wasn't supposed to be shared.

"Such as...?" I questioned, pushing the subject.

"Spelunking for one"

"Spelunking...?" I repeated, staring at him like he was kidding. "As in cave diving?" I asked with a chuckle, thinking this was hilarious. "This is joke, right? I'm being punked, aren't I?" I said looking around, as if I was going to see a hidden camera crew somewhere.

Mr. Fox chuckled while shaking his head, "Oh no, I'm serious. But you wouldn't be just working on items for Mr. Wayne; you would be working on equipment for the company." He said, "The job is yours if you want it."

"Do I have to personally report to Mr. Wayne?" He shook his head.

"No, you can come to me, and I'll talk to Mr. Wayne, if that helps." I nodded along, thinking about it.

"Well, I guess you got yourself a new engineer." I said adding a smile, in which he returned.

I couldn't believe. When I came into this town two weeks ago, I never would have guessed I'd be working for Wayne Enterprises.

/\_◊_/\

Right after Mr. Fox had showed me how to use the computer, he got a phone call so I walked off, giving him some privacy. I was looking over the boxes and cabinets, opening some drawers, and seeing what was inside. I found some items that stuck out to me, more specially body armor. It wasn't like most body armor I had seen before, for one it wasn't metal like knights wore in the medieval ages. It seemed a bit more advanced but before I could really examine it, I heard the elevator ding so I closed the drawer and casually leaned against one of the columns.

When I saw Bruce step off the elevator, I rolled my eyes turning around to face away from him. I just watch Mr. Fox on the phone, ignoring the sound of Bruce's footsteps as they neared me. Soon, I could feel Bruce standing beside me, but I didn't look over at him.

"So, how's the interview going?" He asked casually, as if nothing had happened earlier.

I gave him a glance, wondering if he was serious, he was watching Fox on the phone then noticed me staring.

"What?" He asked, I just scoffed and looked away, still leaning against the column. "You're still mad about earlier?" He asked, like I was the crazy one.

"Yes" I exclaimed, "You lied to me, I take things like that to heart." I explained.

"I didn't lie, I just didn't-" I gave a dry laugh before cutting him off.

"Let me stop me you there because if you used that "I didn't lie, I just didn't tell you the whole truth" line, I will claw you into pieces." I said with no attitude or annoyance in my tone, if anything I couldn't help but lightly smile while saying that to him.

"Fair enough" He said with amusement, eyeing me then glancing back at Mr. Fox.

"And the interview is going great; I decide to take the job." He smiled, "Don't look too happy, I only took the job because I wouldn't have to report to you personally." I said smiling myself.

"Ouch" He muttered, eyeing me again. "You really don't like me, do you?" I just shrugged my shoulders, leaning my back against the column, so I could face Bruce completely. "I'm not such a bad guy once you get to know me."

"So I hear" I commented, remembering Mr. Fox's words from earlier. He gave me a smile before looking off to Fox while he was still on the phone. While Bruce looked off, I couldn't help myself by looking over him again. I had to admit, even if he was truly a billionaire playboy, he was definitely handsome. But I was stubborn; so I wouldn't give in to his charm so easily.

"Since we're talking," He started, "Do you want to explain me why you're mad at me?" He asked

"Didn't we just going over this?" I said

"No, I mean before you knew I was who I am, you mentioned something about your dad's shop being bought."

"By you" I added and he nodded

"By me" He confirmed, but he didn't seem too proud. "Why are you mad about that?"

"Why am I mad?" I repeated feeling mad again by the look on his face, he didn't mean to anger me. I sighed, calming down. "It's all I have left of my dad." I said lowly, "So for someone to try and take that away me, I can't help but 'mad'."

He nodded, "I understand, believe I do. Losing a parent sucks." My eyes dropped slightly, remember both of his parents had been murdered.

"I'm sorry." I said suddenly causing his eyebrows to furrow. "About your parents, it does really suck to lose a parent; I couldn't imagine what it was like to lose both." I said, he nodded and there was a look in his eyes I couldn't catch.

He seemed sad when I mention his parents but managed to crack a smile when he said, "Yeah, it was hard, but I'm... I'm doing better now." He said, giving me another nod. It was like he was trying to reassure himself. I just nodded and looked off, once again not sure what to say.

"Ever notice how most of our conversation tend to end in awkward silence?" I said suddenly without even looking at him when I heard him chuckle lowly. I think he was about to say something but Mr. Fox had hung his phone and walked towards us.

"Getting long, I hope." He said when he reached us.

"I think so." Bruce said, a small smirk taking place on his lips as he looked to me. He thought because Mr. Fox was here that I was just going to smile, bat my eyelashes and agree. Think not.

"For the moment" I commented, Bruce squints his eyes at me but the smirk never left his lips. So I didn't disagree with him completely but I didn't want to have the last word.

"You're here about earlier, Mr. Wayne, I do believe you'll have to wait longer. I am still giving Miss Kyle the run-down on this place." Fox said and I was surprise. You would think that Fox wouldn't talk like that to someone in Bruce's position. Either Bruce didn't have the almighty personality like I thought or Fox and him were pretty close friends.

"That's okay" I butted in stopping Bruce from speaking "I actually have to go anyway, see you tomorrow?" I asked Mr. Fox as I began to turn away, he nodded so I smiled at him before meeting with Bruce's eyes. "Mr. Wayne" I said professionally as I walked away towards the elevator.

"Miss Kyle" I heard him mimicking my tone as he said that. I just rolled my eyes as I entered the elevator. I knew he was watching me and when I turned around to push the lobby button, he didn't hide his stares. We seem to remain eye contact until the elevator doors shut. When they did, I sighed heavily then closed my eyes, taking a deep breath trying to calm my nerves. I used the railing in the elevator as leverage to keep me steady, because my knees felt weak. This was the effect of Bruce Wayne, as much as I hated to admit it, it was. I would never tell him that.

Maybe it was just hate, I told myself. Maybe that's why my blood pressure went up, because of how annoying and immature he was. It definitely couldn't have been his good-looks and compelling eyes- I stopped myself immediately before I thought about him any further. After all, technically, he would be my boss starting tomorrow. I wouldn't let business mix with pleasure that never ends well. I mean I couldn't be with him anyway... I was too damaged to be in a relationship, plus with my night job, I would never get by with it. My night life was a secret, and it needed to stay that way. If I couldn't tell my own blood, like Laura and Janie, I certainly wouldn't tell someone like Bruce Wayne.

Another reason I can't be close with someone. I was certain that if my enemies found about who I was, they would use the people I cared about to get to me. I haven't exactly made friends over the years, but I have stolen from some people, ergo making them enemies to me.

That's why I wouldn't tell my own sister the truth. I loved her to death, but I wouldn't risk her dying to protect my secret. I knew how these things went. I know there was still a chance she could get hurt, even without knowing, but I'd take her hurt feelings over her being dead.

The sound of the elevator door dinging caught my attention; I pushed my thoughts to the back of my head as I left the elevator and headed to the glass doors. As I walked passed, I heard the secretary muttered something like "See ya bitch" very arrogantly. I stopped dead in my tracks and turn around."

"What was that?" I snapped and she gave me a fake smile.

"I just said, have a nice day" She corrected, I just gave her a knowing smile.

"Well, thank you," I said sarcastically then walked towards her desk and leaned in closer, so only her and I could hear. "And just so you know, I'll be back tomorrow and the day after, and the day after that because I got the job." I said causing her face to drop, "Now, you have a nice day" I said with a smirk as I walked a few steps backward from her desk, watching her expression then turned around, leaving the building.

As I looked forward, I hoped to see the taxi from earlier, and I smiled when I did. Smart boy, I thought.

I was just between the doors and the taxi when I heard my name being called. I turned around and was surprised to see Bruce walking out. I just watched him approached me; not saying a word until he approached me.

"What?"

"I needed to ask you a question" He said, he seemed slightly out of breath. Had he been running... to get to me?

"Okay..." I said

"What would I have to do in order for you to... not hate me so much?" He asked and I was taken aback by his question. Did he really care that much about how I felt about him?

"What does it matter what I think of you?" I asked him

"It does to me" He said seriously, and I knew from the look in his eyes, he meant it.

I took a deep breath, sighing then said, "Um, I guess not trying to take away my dad's shop would be a start."

"Okay, I'll do that."

"Really...? Just like that...?" I said, as if he was kidding.

"Just like that" He confirmed and I let out a chuckle, a little stunned.

"Uh, okay..." I said and he smiled, clearly liking the fact that he was able to catch me off guard. He seems to have a habit of that. "What's the catch?" I asked suddenly.

"No catch" He said but the smile still lingered. I watched him carefully, not trusting him.

"Now why don't I believe that?" I asked, with a small smile.

He chuckled; "Because you're stubborn" I then chuckled. "Don't worry; it's not a bad quality to have."

"I'd said otherwise." I commented

"Which proves my point all the more" He said with a knowing smile that made me want to smile and glare at him, all at the same time. "I probably shouldn't ask, given the situation, but do you think you would be interested... in having dinner with me tonight?"

"I knew there was a catch" I said, glancing off with a tired sigh.

"It's not a catch, whatever your choice is, I'm still going to keep our deal." He said, honestly.

"Well, in that case..." I said but he cut me off.

"I probably shouldn't have said that until after you agreed." He commented, and I half smiled.

"Look, I would use the whole "it's not you, it's me" speech but the odds are I wouldn't even be able to keep a straight face while saying it so I'll tell you the truth." I started, "I'm not interested in going out, or just 'having dinner' with anyone right now. I have too much going on and plus you're my boss. There are rules about that."

"Well, I could change them...?" He said as an offered, but I shook my head with a smile.

"No..." I said then added, "And trust me, you don't want to get involved with a girl like me."

"You make it sound like your some kind of criminal" I just lightly chuckled.

"I wouldn't call myself a criminal..." I teased, and he smiled, taking it as a joke apparently. "Just someone with a lot of baggage"

"Don't we all" He said, I didn't smile much anymore. He didn't seem to take what I was saying serious.

"And besides you and I..." I paused, "...we wouldn't mix well together."

"Now why don't I believe that?" He said, using my words against me.

"Cute" I commented, "But I'm the stubborn one, remember? You're charm won't work on me so easily" I lied, it had a little but I couldn't tell him that.

"I guess I'll have to try harder, then" He commented and I had to keep myself from blushing at the look in his eyes.

I lightly smiled, looking down before meeting his eyes, while saying "Good luck with that." He just smiled, "Now I really have to go, I'm gonna to be late."

"Late for what...?" He asked as I walked towards the cab, opening the door.

I smiled glancing back at him, "Goodbye, Mr. Wayne" I said and believe it or not, it sounded nice and sweet. He returned the smile, I guess proud of himself that he got through to me. Or so he thinks.

Getting into the cab, closing the door, I looked to Raymond. "Drop me off down the block, please" I said then looked out the window, seeing Bruce still standing there. As Raymond pulled out and drove down the street, I glanced back again but this time Bruce was gone. A part of me felt disappointed but I shrugged it off and turned back around in the seat.

Raymond pulled over when he reached the end of the block, I handed him the money I promised and began to step out when he asked, "Do you want me to wait?"

"No need, I'll walk from here. Thank you."

"No, thank you" He said with a genuine smile, I returned it and closed the door. Believe it or not, I felt in a good mood, so I waved Raymond goodbye and he did the same. It was only noon right now, so I decide to walk to my favorite restaurant, if it was still here that is. It was a pizzeria and I remembered my dad and me always coming here for my birthday. My dad was friends with the owner. I remembered loving coming here, my father and I would even help Freddie, his friend, with making pizza.

The place was only a few blocks from where Raymond dropped me off, I would have just let him drive me there, but I wanted to walk. I needed some fresh air; hopefully it would clear my head.

Before I even entered the restaurant, the scent of pasta sauce and baked bread filled my nose. My mouth instantly filled with saliva and I had to keep myself from moaning at the smell.

I opened the door of the restaurant and the smell only got stronger. Memories started to fill my head as I took in the area. Some good and some bad...

I looked around and noticed that no one was here, they must have just opened.

Walking straight to the front, there was an older man counting the cash in the register; I smiled when I recognized him.

"Uncle Freddie?" I said as I approached, he looked out with furrow eyes but then after a moment, his eyes widen.

"Lizzie?" He said, laying down the money in the register and quickly made his way around the counter, "Little Lizzie" He said proudly as he pulled me into a giant hug, I, of course, return it. "Where have you been all these years?" He asked, pulling away.

"Here and there" I replied, not giving a straight answer.

"We've missed you." He said, "She's gonna want to see you" He said, then turned around.

"Marie" He called, then after hearing footsteps come from another room, a woman came out. She was exactly how I remembered, just older.

She didn't see me at first, "Yes, dear?" Then when Freddie stepped aside, her eyes landed on me and widen.

"Lizzie?" She said and smile coming towards me. She too pulled me into a tight, bear hug and I was okay with that. I wasn't much of a hugger but they were different. They were basically my Aunt and Uncle. I used to come see them almost every day until my dad died, and then it was only once a month and I didn't stay long then after a while I just stopped coming by all together. It was hard for me to see them but I made sure to send them Christmas cards and gifts for them and their kids on their birthdays.

"It's been so long, sweetie, we've all missed you." Marie said, "Sit, sit." She said motioning towards the closer table, "I want to hear how you are." She added as we sat down. She and Freddie sat on one side in front of me so I was looking at Marie face to face. "So how are you, how have you been?"

"Good, I've being doing good" I replied

"So where have you been and when did you get back?" I lightly chuckled at the fact she kept asking me two questions at the same time.

Freddie touched his wife's arm, "Breathe sweetie, don't ambush the girl."

"I don't ambush" She replied, looking back to me then quickly glaring at him, "And don't tell me what to do." I couldn't help the smile on my face watching them. I loved this. I missed this.

Marie looked at me and motioned for me to answer her earlier questions and I did.

"I moved about five years ago and just returned two weeks ago. I would have come visit sooner but I've been kind of busy. And I was only a couple blocks over, for an interview, so I thought I would come by."

"An interview...? For what...?"

"An engineering position at Wayne Enterprises...?"

"Wayne Enterprises...?" Marie repeated

"Yep, I start tomorrow morning" I added and Marie smiled.

"I'm so happy for you" She stated but Freddie didn't seem the way.

"You got a job at Wayne Enterprises, why would do that?" I was stunned by his tone.

"Fred, let it go." Marie muttered and before I could speak, Marie looks to me. "So why did you move?"

"Well Laura and I moved to Arkham, we actually moved before she had her daughter, Janie." I explained and Marie gaped.

"She's has a child? But she is so young." I nodded

"Yeah, it was unexpected." I admitted, "But she handled... pretty well. I helped her of course. Before she was even 5 months along, she decided she didn't want to stay in Gotham and I went with her, to help with the baby. I think she needed a change of environment, a fresh slate... we both did really." The last part was more of muttered as my eyes drifted, thinking about the real reason I left.

"Sweetie...?" My eyes snapped to Marie's. "Are you okay?" She asked

I immediately smiled, and nodded "Yeah, I'm fine." She tilted her head at me slightly, "What...?" I asked and noticed Uncle Freddie was doing the same.

"You seem... different." She said then looked to Freddie, "Doesn't she seem different Fred?" She asked and I watched the two carefully.

"Yes, she does in fact." He agreed, seeming better than before but as I watched them, I knew they were both up to something.

"I'm not different" I said

Marie quietly gasped, "I know what it is" She said suddenly, "You met a guy" She said

"What...?" I said too quickly, then added "No" feeling heat rise in my cheeks from her staring at me.

"Yes, you did. You're blushing." She said and I shook my head.

"I did not." I said

I heard the bell on the door ring, causing me to glance over seeing someone walk in. Freddie stood slowly, "As much as I would like to stay and talk more about boys... I have to attend to one of customers." Marie and I both smiled at him.

"So tell me about him?" Marie said as if we were in high school talking about my new crush.

"There is no him" I said, not wanting to talk about it.

"You're a terrible liar." She stated, "Now spill it... now." And I knew she wouldn't let it go unless I did.

"Okay, fine, there's a guy but nothing is going to happen between him and me." I explained.

"What...? What's wrong with him?" She asked

"Nothing- I mean, I don't know. I just met him today. Part of me hates him and would want nothing more than to rip him into pieces but then there's another part... where I kind of just to... rip him still... but in a different way. Not sure that makes sense. I'm rambling, aren't I?"

"Oh no, it makes perfect sense, go on" She said and I snickered under my breath.

"I don't know... I don't want to like him but I do. Does it make sense to say I want to hit him then kiss him?" I asked and she nodded and laughed.

"Wow, he really gets under your skin."

"You have no idea." I said, "When I first met him, I liked him, then he did something to make me hate him and then... he says something to me and now... I am so confused." I said glancing at her, "I've never felt this way about someone. I've always either liked someone or didn't. I never had mixed feelings of both." I explained and then realized I shared way too much. "I'm rambling again, sorry."

"Oh dear, I've told you this before. Never apologizes for saying what's on your mind." She said and I nodded with a small grin. "Now, about this boy- well man, I'm hoping." I nodded quickly, "Is he interested in you?"

"Well, he did ask me out tonight." I stated

"What did you say?"

"I told him now"

"Now, why would you go and do that?" She asked

"Because, starting tomorrow, I'll be working for him. There are rules and boundaries and I'm not just talking about during work. It needs to be this way... for me, it's better this way."

"Sweetie..." She said quietly as she gave me sad eyes. "What is really going on? What are you scared of?" I half smiled at the fact that she was asking two questions again.

"I'm not scared of anything, Aunt Marie, not anymore." I replied.

"Well, something is going on and I want to know now. What is going on in that mind on yours?"

I looked away and sighed while thinking about everything that happened today. I hadn't known Bruce long, I shouldn't be feeling the way I do right now. How can you like and hate someone at the same time?

"I'm... afraid" I said honestly and it was the hardest thing I've ever had to admit. "I'm afraid, if I let anyone close enough, if I let anyone in..." I paused feeling tears burn my eyes. "They'll get hurt or... they'll end up hurting me." I said glancing at her. She looked at me with some much love and sadness in her eyes. I could tell she was worried about me. "I've been hurt before, Aunt Marie... and it bad. I made the mistake of trusting a man that I didn't really know and it scares me because I thought I knew him so well." I paused again, pushing away the tears. "I don't want to make that mistake again... I can't- I won't go through it again."

"What happen to you, Lizzie?" She asked and I looked up at her. "You seem so... alone."

"I feel alone." I muttered.

"But you're not." She said after a moment, placing her hand over mine of the table. "Do you hear me?" She asked, "You have me, Fred, your sister and Janie. You are not alone."

I cracked half a smile, but my face was still filled with sadness. "You don't get it... no one does, no one will ever understand." I pulled my hand away gently, "I'm sorry, Aunt Marie. I want to believe you; I want to believe that I'm not alone. But it's different from where you're sitting... because if you could see from my point of view... you'd know just how hard it is for me."

"Sweetie, whatever is going on, you can tell me"

I moved closer, leaning in and whispered. "What if I told you, something happen to me?" I start looking up at her, making eye-contact. "Something... so tragic, something so impossible... that it dangers anyone I tell? Would you still want to know?" I asked

"Yes" She said

"You risked your life to know?" I asked

"Yes, because I love and care about you. And whatever it is, it's killing you, I can see it. I'd do anything to help you."

"But you can't help me." I said

"I could try." She said softly and I smiled again. After a moment she asked, "What did that man do to you?" My eyes drifted and closed them briefly as she touched my hand again.

Taking a deep breath, "He killed me" I said quietly.

"What?" She gasped, not fully understanding what I said.

"I died" I said honestly and looked up at her. "You were right, I am different. I'm not the same Lizzie you knew, the same one anyone knew."

"What are you talking about?"

I took away my hand, "The Lizzie you knew... she died." I said referring to my old self. "And I don't think she'll ever be back" I added then slowly stood up, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come by." then turned away, ignoring Marie and Fred calling after me. I hurried out the door and ran down the sidewalk as fast I could.

Luckily there was a lunch crowd on the sidewalk and I was able to get out of sight before Fred could stop me.

Getting away from all the people at some point, I walked into an alley and climbed up a fire escape that was connected the building. I went all the way to the roof and sat on the edge, leggings dangling over. As I said there, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket so I pulled it out, seeing I had a voice message and click play, holding the phone to my ear. "Hi, Liz, I was just checking on you. I had this feeling something was wrong... I can't explain it, maybe it's a sister thing? I don't know. I just wanted to call and remind you that we were thinking about you and we miss you..." I felt the tears finally fall from my face as I listened. "And someone wanted to talk to you so hang on..." There was a pause until I heard a little voice, "Hey, Aunt Lizzie" I smiled when she said that, "Mommy said I can come see you in a week. I'm so excited! And..." She paused and then I heard them both say, "We love you!"

I clicked off my phone when it was over and tears kept falling. I hadn't cried like this in a long time. I don't know what it was that was triggering it. Maybe it was the fact that I had finally just told someone what I had happened that night. Maybe not everything but I had never once told someone that I had died. Not once and I had never planned too.

Part of me hated even thinking about it. For a couple weeks after that night, I still hadn't come to terms with what happened. I couldn't believe it at first. How can someone die and come back to life? And to come back with new abilities made it sound even crazier. And it wasn't just me dying; it was how that made me sick to my stomach. Marie shouldn't have pushed me... she should have just let it go. But no, everyone has to push me to tell them the truth. I hate to quote a common movie line but they can't handle the truth. They didn't understand what happen to me... no one did. To die and come back... it scared me. I would never admit my fear to anyone though. Fear made you weak, like I was that night. And I promised myself I would never show someone my fear again. And I wouldn't even let someone have the upper hand on me. Sure I used my body to get close to guys, but that was my way of using their hormones against them, this way I have the upper hand. All I knew I wouldn't let anyone, any man, ever take advantage of me again.

As I stayed there on the building, I came up with an idea. After five years of building all the anger up inside, it was time to let it loose, to let it all out on the men responsible for my death and my pain.

I only knew their first names but by the end of tonight, I would know where they lived.


	5. Chapter 4

**Beyond the Mask**

**Chapter Four**

Leaning against the brick wall in the alley, one leg bent so my foot would rest against the wall, I waited. Checking my watch impatiently, after some time, I then quickly placed my hands back in the pockets of my knee length winter coat. It was awfully cold tonight; I could literally see my breath. I was surprise since it was only the end of August.

I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the wall, but my guard did not drop. Even with my eyes closed, I could hear any movement around me. If someone took one step near me or in my direction, I would know.

As I took deep, slow breaths, I heard hurried footsteps approaching. My eyes opened immediately and I looked to my left, towards the road, seeing a dark figure walking down the alley. He was clearly nervous since he was rushing down the alley path, panting, probably from running.

He came to a stop near me but he looked around, so clearly he didn't see me. Now that he was standing in some light, from the street light, I was able to make out his face. He looked scrawny, underfed. I guess selling personal information didn't buy him many dinners.

"Did you bring what I ask for?" I spoke up causing him to jump slightly. For a moment, I wondered if he was high but I couldn't smell any drugs in his system and his pupils weren't dilated so I withdrew the thought. He looked over where my voice came from and he seemed even more nervous. I decided to stop scaring the poor boy and stepped out in the light. My coat had a hood so it covered most of my face. "So..." I said getting impatient.

"Y-yes, I got it" He said reaching inside his coat pocket and pulling out an envelope, I jerked it from his hand as soon he handed it in my direction.

"Is this everything?" I said, looking inside, examining the items. When he nodded rapidly, from either being nervous or cold, I reached into my pocket and pulled out a roll of cash. Before he could take the money, I pulled it back. "Our deal...?" I said

"Don't worry, completely untraceable." He confirmed and I nodded. "If this is what I asked for." He added, building some courage.

"It's all there." I said, "As long as you keep your side of the deal, I'll keep mine." I explained then added, "Remember the other part of our deal... about this meeting?" I said and saw he didn't seem convince, so sighing I pulled out another hundred to add to the original twenty-five hundred. I honestly didn't think that his price would be enough to keep him quiet, I mean it was under the table, he could have asked for more. I would have but apparently this amount was reasonable.

"What meeting...?" He said and I smiled.

"Smart boy" I commented handing him the hundred dollar bill. As he took the bill, he glanced around the empty alley nervously then looked towards the roofs. "Are you expecting someone?" I asked, staring at him.

"You haven't heard?" He said and I furrowed my eyebrows so he continued "There's this guy that runs around during the night, he busts guys like me." I just stared at him so he added, "The Batman...?"

I chuckled darkly, realizing that's who he was afraid of. "You're afraid of someone who dresses up as a bat?"

"It's not just him, there's also a new girl. People are saying she's dangerous, some psycho chick" I laughed at him again, I thought it was funny.

"I don't think you're on her list for tonight," I said, "Not anymore that is." I added lifting the package he gave me and smiled.

His face froze as he stared at me, "Wait... are you..?" He started but I cut him off and smiled.

"You have a nice night." I said and took a few steps backwards into the shadows, placing the package in my pocket. As soon as I was hidden, I climbed the side of building, using the metal bars and dropped onto the roof. I knew the guy saw me do this but since he had referred to me as a 'psycho chick', I was pretty sure he wouldn't turn me in or anything. Not that he had any evidences and with his record he wouldn't risk being arrested himself.

As I walked across the roof of the abandoned building, I thought about the nicknames that had been given to me. 'Crazy bitch in black' and 'Psycho chick'... Bitch, yes but psycho...? I mean, come on, really...?

I snickered to myself walking to the edge of the building and stepping up on the ledge, looking down. After checking the ground, I dropped off and landed in a crouch on the ground before straightening myself up. I began to walk down the sidewalk, and at this time of night, no one was around. I guess Gotham had grown used to not coming out a night, since that's when the criminals were awake.

As I walked, I heard footsteps behind me but when I glanced back, the sound stopped and no one was there. I could sense someone still near but I decided to just keep walking since I didn't want any trouble right now. I started walking again but came to a sudden stop when a man stepped out of the shadows, blocking my path. I stared at him for a moment before I began to walk backwards and then turned around. The plan of leaving was over when another man came out, blocking my path again. I looked over my shoulder, watching the other guy and realized what they had done. They were trying to prevent me from running.

"Can I help you boys?" I asked casually but the one standing in front of me, the one I had heard walking earlier just smirked at me. I decide to go left towards the street but was ambushed by another man stepping out of the darkness, and then when I looked to my right, there was another. It was now four against one. They had me surrounded but I wouldn't go so easily.

"I don't want any trouble." I said trying to play the innocent bystander but I knew that they weren't leaving when they all started smirking at me. I had seen that smirk before so I knew what they were thinking. "Okay" I said, looking down calmly. "You're not going to back down, that's fine. But I should warn you, I am the last person that any of you" I started and turn in a slow circle, looking at each of them, "... want to mess with." They found my comment amusing and began chuckling. I laughed with them, acting as if it were a joke. However, the humor quickly left my face, "I'm serious." I added, "You don't want to mess with me... especially not tonight." I said honestly. I had murder on mind and it wouldn't take much for me to see red.

"It's not really up to you." One of the men said, who I'm guessing was the ring leader. "As you can see... you're out number."

I shrugged my shoulders, "That's a matter of opinion."

He chuckled darkly, taking a step forward, which I watched carefully. "Oh sweetie, you have no idea what you've gotten yourself into." He said

"Actually... I have a pretty good idea" I said, "But do you?" I said, referring to myself. "Last chance to leave" I stated and they all shared a smile, "No?" I announced then nodded, "Okay, but don't say I didn't warn you"

"Oh, little girl, I'm your worst nightmare." He said, I guess trying to be imitating but I just lightly smile.

"No, you're not a nightmare" I said when an idea came to mind. "You're practice." I finished and he seemed confused before taking the first hit, my head went to the side from impact but only briefly before I looked back at him.

I touched my cheek and looked at my fingertips seeing blood and I felt myself grow angry. The idea of a man making me bleed brought something dark from within me, out. I looked at him and in his eyes something told me that part of him was already regretting his decision but that didn't matter now. Not in front of the others, who just stood by waiting.

"Well, if we're gonna do this; let me take my coat off first." I said and began pulling it off slowly and they watched me intensely. I was wearing a snug black long-sleeve top and a pair of dark jeans with knee high black boots. Instead of laying down my coat, after taking it off, I used it to ambush the ring leader by whipping it across his face then kneeing him in the crotch so fast that even his lackeys didn't react soon enough. I slammed my fist on the side of his face right when I was grabbed from behind. One of the guys pinned my arms behind my back and held me against him, I struggled slightly but didn't put up much of a fight. I just needed to wait for my opportunity. The leader got up and wiped the blood from the side of his face where I had hit him. Now we're even, I thought.

"Big mistake" He said then punched me in the stomach; the guy let me fall to the ground where I groaned from the pain that filled my stomach. It wore off quickly but I didn't let them now that, so I coughed to play out the part. I rolled over on my back and looking up at the leader. He saw him lift his leg backwards, going to kick me, so I grabbed his ankle when it was an inch from my face and twisted it until I heard a bop. He yelled out and hit the ground, grabbing his ankle. After a few moments, he looked to the others, "Finish her" Staying on the ground, I slightly lifted myself enough to start crawling backwards when I saw them all approach me, one was in front and two followed behind him. When the first guy got closer, I slammed my foot in his crotch, with the heel, and the moved my foot up to make contact with his face, knocking him backwards. This got me the window opportunity I needed to get up and run, and I did. I took off down the street and headed towards the stores when I heard the leader yell "Get her!" I wasn't running scared, I just wanted to have the upper hand so I needed to get away first. There was a building close by that had columns so I hid behind one and waited quietly. I heard footsteps running in my direction that slowed when they didn't see me. I peeked over at the two of them, careful not to be noticed, and saw them split up in different directions, one went my way and the other went around the building. As one of the men walked down my path, I silently move at the same pace, in the opposite direction, around the column, without being spotted. As he walked past the columns, I decided to do something a little more adventurist. By looking up the column, I debated if it were climbable. Examining my footwear at the moment, I figured it would be best to go without them. Slipping them off quietly, and laying them on the ground, I checked to see where the other was. When I saw him still searching further down, I grabbed on to the column and began to pull myself up. It wasn't easy at first but I soon got the hang of it.

It didn't take me long to reach the top and when I did, I noticed there were metal rails across the ceiling of the building. I had never seen this before but smirked when I got another idea. Grabbing onto the metal bar, I dangled for a second and made the mistake of looking down. "Oh shit" I muttered quickly looking up, controlling my breathing. I hadn't realized how high I was from the ground. Shaking off my nerves, I went along with my new plan. Still holding on, I manage to turn myself around, so the back of my head was facing the guy, then I began to swing my legs until I was high enough, allowing me to wrap my legs around the metal bar as well.

In this position, I was able to swiftly crawl across the ceiling without being noticed. I mean, what are the odds their going to look to the ceiling to find me?

I lowered my head back, and saw that the man was under me and he had a gun. I didn't like guns. Well- I like _using_ guns, but I didn't like them being _used_ on me. I'll have to get rid of that.

I climbed further until I was at the end, and there I waited. Releasing my legs to let them dangle, I used all the upper body strength I had to hold onto the bar. Looking down, I waited for the man to start walking again. I planned it out; I had to, in order to time it just right. With my weight, and gravity, it would take me at least five seconds to drop and the guy took a step every two seconds so played it out. When my chance came I took it, plus a deep breath, and let go of the bar. I was right; it only took five seconds before I landed right on top of the man. He grunted from the impact but black out when his head hit the ground. Removing the gun from his hand, I tucked it into the back of my jeans then gripped his forearms and dragged over to the side of the building behind some trash, to hide his body.

As I began walking away, I realized that next door to the abandon building was a jewelry store. I smiled thinking about all the jewelry but after taking a step forward, I heard voices. I hurried over to the wall of the building, and then crept to the edge, peering out slightly to hear the conversation more clearly.

"You haven't caught that bitch yet?" I heard a familiar voice say, and when I looked at two men talking, I recognized one as the man whose ankle I broke.

"Sorry, boss, she just disappeared" The other one, I'll call him Lackey 2, said

"Where's Andy?" Mr. Boss man asked roughly.

"I-I don't know, he went looking for her... But that was minutes ago..."

"I have a bad feeling about this chick. We need to find her and teach her lesson once and for all." Boss man stated then looked to Lackey 2. "Why are you still here? Go." He ordered and Lackey 2 starts coming in my direction. I pressed my back against the wall, trying to stay hidden and luckily it worked, because he ran right by me. This lackey's had to be the worst lackey ever. But what can you expect when they have an idiot-of-boss like this guy here?

I would have taken out the boss right then but he turned around and walked- or should I say limped, off before I had the chance. So I decided I would just finish off the rest of his lackeys before going after him. Honestly, I could have just left them all alone. Snuck away and left them searching but a part of me, the dark side of me, kept telling me to stay and play. But I couldn't do it unmasked. Looking over at the jewelry store, something caught my eye so I walked towards the window. When I reached it, I stared through the glass at the beauty. It was a mask, but not just some simple black mask like the one I had worn before, this was different. As I stared at the black cat mask, I remembered a conversation I had with Janie not too long ago.

_"A kitten...?" I repeated and looked at the (coloring) page, now seeing an outline drawing of a small kitten playing with yarn. "Aw, well isn't that precious" I smiled, "But why are you using such a dark color?" A girl her age usually uses yellow, pink or purple or maybe gray for a cat but not black._

_"Because black cats are the best" I smiled at her comment._

She was right. Black cats are the best.

_"They can stand out in a crowd but stay hidden in shadows"_ I heard her voice say in my head while I smiled down at the mask.

I wondered if the store would really miss the mask, maybe they wouldn't even notice it was gone? I scoffed thinking, _like I care._

Staring the window, I was pretty sure there was an alarm system and if I broke the glass, it would go off. Since I wasn't planning on robbing this store, the thought of the alarm going off didn't bother me. In fact, it fitted my plan perfectly. Using my elbow, I slammed it into the glass, shattering it into pieces. Like I had suspected, an alarm went off. I quickly took the mask and hurried into the alley. I figured those thugs would either run or go towards the sound of the alarm, probably because they thought it was me.

As I walked down the dark alley way, heading where Lackey 2 ran off to, I tied the strings to the mask behind my head and made them tight, so the mask wouldn't fall off. After the mask was on, I braided my hair, this way it was out of my face. I had slipped my boots back on and now was heading to the street side where the columns were.

Still having the gun tucked into the back of my jeans, I walked down the street. It was quiet... too quiet. I thought. I could just sense an ambush coming and I was right. I had only walked a couple feet when someone hit me in the back of the head. I was knocked to the ground but it didn't take me long to get back up. Reflexes kick in for me and as soon as landed on my stomach, I picked myself up, doing a quick handstand before finishing off with a front flip then turning to face my attacker. It wasn't Lackey 2; it was one of the others. The guy I had kneed then kicked in the face, let's call him Lackey 3.

"That's a nice mask" He said, "It'll be a shame to get blood on it."

"Don't worry. I'll make sure to wipe your blood off when I'm done." I teased him causing him to lowly chuckled at me.

"Feisty, I like it." He said and took a step forward to me.

"I'm warning you. I went easy on your last time, but this time I might not be so... gentle."

"I'll keep that in mind." He commented, taking another step forward and when he did, I knew it was time to really show off my skills. Trying to ambush me, he ran at me but one step ahead of him, I lunged into the air, doing a flip over him and landed perfectly on the ground in a crouch. I swiftly turned around, still in a crouch, and put my hands out in an attack position, like a cat with its claws out an let out a low hiss.

By this time, Lackey 3 was just turning around. Apparently I had surprised him by my little flip.

"You think you're so clever, huh?" I shrugged my shoulders casually while smirking at his question. "Alright, pussycat... it's time for you to be put down." He teased and I rolled my eyes at his comment.

When he came at me, I dropped my arms placing them behind me, resting them on the ground for support, this allowed me to lift my legs upward and kick him in the chest, sending him flying a couple feet. He ended up slamming his head against the pavement.

"Looks like the dog got put down instead" I said right before he lost consciousness. "Hm" I said proud of myself as I left him lying there. "Two down, two to go." I said and knew this was going to be easy. I was pretty sure Lackey 2 would just run from me. He didn't seem like he was capable of murder... but I have been wrong before.

I was about to back to the main alley, where I stole the mask from the window, when I stopped at the edge. I looked down, seeing the remaining two men.

"You still haven't found her yet!?" The boss man yelled at Lackey 2. "Come on, Riley. She's one girl!"

"She's not just a girl... I don't think we're giving her enough credit." Lackey 2 told the boss and I smiled lightly, I took that as a compliment. I might go easy on him when I'm kicking him ass.

The boss man huffed at that comment, "She just a stupid-bitch of a woman." He said causing me to scowl hard at him. "Now find her!" Lackey 2 began walking off but boss man stopped him, "Wait, where's Andy and Ramos...?" He asked, I knew Andy was the right guy I took out, the one only a couple feet from them so I'm guessing Ramos is the one I just finished off.

"I don't know... I haven't seen them since they went looking for the girl. Something just doesn't feel right. Maybe we should just leave her alone." Lackey 2 offered and he was smart, knowing that it would be best to back out but I knew boss man wasn't going to give so easy.

"I'm the one in charge here, I make the orders. And just because this girl, this one girl, scares you, doesn't mean we're gonna run away crying. You find her and you bring her to me. That crazy bitch will be a dead bitch when I'm done with her." He said and all I kept thinking was, _Game on sucker._

As Lackey 2 came walking down the alley and turned the corner, I grabbed him and slammed him against the wall. Before he could speak or yell, I covered his mouth.

"There's been a slight change in plans." I said, "I'm going to be the one to teach your boss a lesson and you're not going to stand in my way... how's that sound?" I asked, but it was more of rhetorical question.

"Um... I don't know-" I then pulled the gun from my pants and placed the end to against his forehead. He gulped, "It's a great plan, I love the plan, let's go with yours." He said quickly.

"Wise choice" I said, "How about this, instead of working for that pea brain, you're gonna work for me?" I said, "I need a few lackey's of my own." I added

He nodded, "I can do that."

"What's your name?" I asked

"Riley, Riley O'Brien" I nodded, pulling the gun from his face and started to walk off.

"Well, let's go" I snapped when I noticed he wasn't following. He quickly complied and walked beside me down the alley. As we came to the end, I stopped him. "I need you to detract boss man for me."

"How-how do I do that?"

"You're a smart boy Riley, you'll figure it out." I said tucking the gun into the back of my pants again.

Without another word, I began scaling the side of the building until I reached the roof. While on top, I walked across until I reached the area right above where boss man was waiting. This was dragging out way too long, it needed to end now.

Hopping over the side, quietly, I landed on the fire escape. I peered down at the ground in time to see Riley approached boss man. I listened closer to their conversation as I walked down the stairs, carefully not to make a beep.

"Did you find her?" Boss man snapped

"Not exactly" Riley answered, "I found her but she was too fast." He lied.

I was only one floor away from being at their level, I didn't move though; I had to plan this out by timing again. That's all it's ever really about... timing.

I guess Riley knew where I was because he somehow got boss man to have his back towards me. I quietly approached from behind, pulling the gun out and raising my arm so the gun was at level with his head.

"What are you talking about, Riley?" He asked, but Riley didn't answer, his eyes just flickered to me. The boss man followed his gaze, turning around, seeing me with a gun to his face. I was only about 3 feet away, but I had a clear shot.

"There's been a slight change in plans." I said but before I didn't anything else, I looked to Riley, still keeping the gun pointed at boss man. "Riley, dear, would you be a doll and fetch my coat? It's quite chilly tonight." I commented and he nodded before walking off, heading off in the direction to get my coat. When he was gone, my eyes return to boss man. "So, how's your night going so far?" I asked, he didn't say anything. "Mine was pretty good until these assholes try to... jump me? That's what you were going to do right? Steal my money...? Or were you after something entirely different, I wonder?" I questioned bitterly. "You know, its men like you that make me sick. I'm a pretty tough person, as you can tell, but the things that your kind does, truly sickens me, it really does." I explained, "I just hope after tonight, you've learned _your _lesson." I stated

"Which is what?" He said bluntly.

"That you never know who you're really messing with." I said, he took a step forward, in a charge, but stopped hearing the sound of the gun loading,

"What the hell do you want from me?" He asked

"You know, you called me a few words... that I didn't care for too much." I said

"I meant them" He said, I just laughed slightly.

"You think I'm a crazy bitch?" I asked then he nodded in agreement. "I'll show you crazy" I added lowering the gun and firing off two shots.

He yelled out, dropping to the ground, blood slowly coming from his knees. Of course I didn't shoot to kill him; he's not the one I wanted dead.

"You bitch!" He yelled out, with a few groans and cries afterwards.

Wanting to get this over with, I placed the gun in the back of my pants and then kicked him in the chest, making him fall backwards. I hovered over him, knees on the outside of his stomach.

"Now, if I was truly a "crazy bitch", I would have just killed you." I said then gripped his neck, but not choking him. "But you're not worth it... at least not to me." I then got up, starting to leave.

"Who are you?" He asked in pain. Before looking at him, I thought about it for a moment. Who was I, really? I think I needed a name for myself. I was tired of being called "Crazy bitch". I needed a name for myself, a real name that is. One that represented who I was... My eyes flickered over to a window reflection of myself, dressed in all black with a mask.

When a name entered my mind, I walked over to him.

"I am Catwoman" I said then caught him by surprise when I slammed my heel into his knee causing him to cry out. "Hear me roar" I remarked darkly, pressing harder onto his knee for a few seconds while leaning down to his face. When he started to beg for his life, thinking I was going to kill him, I removed my pressure from his knee and vanished into the shadows.

/\_◊_/\

"Find my coat?" I asked Riley when I approached him, he immediately stood up and I could tell he was nervous.

"Y-yes"

"Well...?" I said, reaching my hand out. He quickly handed it to me, "Why are you always scared?" I snapped while putting on my coat. "Aren't you guys supposed to be tough?" I asked with a defensive tone, while managing to slip the gun from the back of pants into my coat pocket without him noticing.

He straightens up, trying to present himself as tough but I just didn't think he was going to make the cut. "Sorry, it's just you frighten me." He said truthfully.

"Good," I replied coolly. "And I respect the honesty" I added, "Walk with me" I said and he did, right beside me. While we walked a couple steps, I checked my other coat pocket and sighed in relief when I found the small envelope I had gotten earlier.

"What is that anyway?" He asked, eyeing the package.

"Did you open it?" I asked immediately.

"No" He said

"Good" I said then cut him off by standing in front of him then pulling out the gun, only inches from his face. His nervousness came back and I heard his breathing harden.

"I thought..." He started

"You thought what...?" I questioned, "You see, you're just not going to make the cut. I need someone who fears me but isn't scared of his own shadow. You can barely say one sentence to me without stuttering. So... sorry" I said lamely.

"You're going to kill me?" He asked lowly, like he already knew the answer. If there was one thing people will start learning about me soon enough, I am anything but predictable.

"You're not the one I want dead" I said shortly before swiping the gun across his face, knocking him to the ground and out cold.

I instantly started walking but stopped when I was about to cross the street. I could feel eyes on me. Following my instinct, I looked behind me then upward towards the roof of a building. There I saw a dark figure perked on the building watching me, staring at it until my sight became clearer, and I identified the figure as the famous "Batman".

After a minute long stare we shared with each other, I could hear sirens in the distance and knew I needed to leave. I looked away from Batman and began walking away.

He didn't stop me and I didn't look back.

/\_◊_/\

The sound of water reached my ears sending chills all over my body. My involvement with water was limited ever since I drowned. I, of course, showered, washed my hands and used water for all the necessary reasons but swimming wasn't on my list of favorite activities.

I was now mask-less as I stood in front of the gate that outlines the drop off leading to Gotham's Harbor. It was probably four o'clock and the sun was already starting to rise, giving off a light pink color in the sky. The light was only dim but enough to make out anything you'd miss in the dark. I had never meant to stay out this late, but once I started walking, I didn't want to stop. I practically walked around the entire town while everyone slept.

I just stared at the water crashing against the rocks, while leaning against the railing to really enjoy the scenery. Like I said water wasn't my favorite thing but I would really be heartless if I couldn't see how beautiful this place was. As the wind blew, I reached into my pocket, pulling out the gun and holding in my hand for a moment. I stared down at it, remembering myself shooting that man in the knees. Thinking about it, I could have done worst, I could have killed him. I knew I was capable of murder, everyone is. My father used to tell me, _"We all have a choice. We choose the path we want to take; the good or the bad. Only you can decide which one is for you and which one is worth taking"._

Staring at the gun, I wondered what side I was really on; the good or the bad. Swiftly, I tossed the gun over the railing and watched it fall into the water then disappear from sight as it sank to the bottom. After taking in the place one more time, I began my walk home.

I had work in the morning, first at the auto body shop then at Wayne Enterprises. Well, it wasn't so much as work at the body shop as much as it was me checking in on the finances. I was going to give Rick the money for the shop's bills, since we made a deal. I went to the interview and so now I get to pay the bills. I pay the bills and Rick gets to keep the shop. It was a win-win. I smiled remembering Bruce saying he wouldn't buy the shop from me, I was glad. Maybe he wasn't so much of a bad guy as I made him out to be.

/\_◊_/\

Only having a couple hours of sleep didn't mix well with me, but with a couple cups of coffee and some breakfast in my system, I was good to go. Before getting dressed, I had filled out a check, the money for Rick. I figured a check would be better than cash, less suspicion. Getting dressed was easy; I simply wore dark jeans (where I folded and tucked the check into), army boots, and a black tank. Since it wasn't hot I decided against wearing a jacket, so when I was ready to leave, I just grabbed my keys, phone and walked out the door.

Not wanting to take a cab today, I went downstairs to the parking garage in the building and hopped onto my motorcycle. Slipping my helmet on, I revived up the bike and tore out of the garage.

People and cars around me were just a blur as I rode, swerving in and out of any object that got in my way. I manage to miss all the red lights and only hit green ones.

When I arrived at the shop, I smiled seeing Rick behind the counter, reading a piece of paper. When he spotted me, he smiled back.

"Hey, how was your interview yesterday?" He asked as I approached him.

"I'm guessing pretty well since I got the job" I half bragged and his smile widen.

"That's great. So when do you start?" He asked

"Today, I just wanted to run by and give you the money. A deal's a deal right?" I said and went to pull out the check when he spoke.

"No need"

"Rick, we had a deal. I went to the interview, so I get to pay-"

"That's not it. All of the bills have already been paid for." He said causing my eyebrows to furrow.

"What?" I said

"And not just the overdue either, _all_ of them... like all future bills have been dealt with."

"By who...?"

"It's all in this letter" He said raising the paper, I then snatched it from him. "I assumed you knew about this..."

I quickly scanned over, reading until I reached the bottom, seeing his personal signature. "Son of a bitch" I muttered before rushing out of the shop and hopping on my bike. The speed I was going now made how I drove earlier seem slow.

/\_◊_/\

As I stormed into Wayne Enterprises, I made no eye contact as I walked past the front desk to the elevators. All the way up to the 75th floor, I was basically steamy. So many unpleasant thoughts and names were burning the inside of my skull while I stood in the elevator. As soon as the doors, I opened I walked straight towards the front desk that was before the conference room. "Is Bruce Wayne in there?" I asked quickly, not even stopping.

The woman at the desk didn't even answer my question, all she had time to say was "You can't go in there!" But I didn't listen.

Throw open both doors, making an entrance. I had, in fact, interrupted a meeting but I didn't care. I spotted Bruce instantly and he stood up seeing me, but clearly he didn't notice my scowl because he smiled.

"Lizzie, what a pleasant surprise" He said casually.

"What the hell is this?" I snapped ignoring his greeting, holding up the letter that had his name signed at the bottom. It became clear to Bruce that I was mad now because his face dropped, seeing the letter.

"Uh, Lizzie, could we talk about this another time?" He asked, trying to not make a bigger scene than I already had.

"No, I want to talk about it now. We had a deal; you said you wouldn't buy my shop."

"I didn't buy it." He corrected me, but that wouldn't save him.

"No, you're right, you didn't. You just paid it off... you might as well have bought it!" I yelled

"Lizzie... calm down." He muttered quietly

"Don't tell me to calm down." I snapped, "What did you think would happen when I read this? That I would change my mind about you... think your some kind of hero? Well, guess what, Bruce? You're not. You're just some spoil ass rich-playboy who flashes his money around and thinks he can get whatever he wants. Well, I'm not your charity, Bruce. You're not going to use me to make yourself look good on TV or in the newspaper!" Just getting that much off my chest made feel ten times better and what surprised me was that Bruce took it. He didn't interrupt me. "And you wanna know something else? I don't want your money and I sure the hell don't need it."

"It wasn't about the publicity." He said firmly

"Somehow I doubt that." I retorted, scowling at him. Before I could say another more, and give Bruce another ear-full, a man stood up from the table, clearing his throat.

"Bruce, would you mind keeping your domestic business out of the workplace?" The old guy said so I moved my scowl to him. I didn't like him. I didn't know who he was but I still didn't like him. He had an arrogance to him that made me want to scratch his eyes out.

"Yes, my apologizes, Mr. Earle. We'll take this somewhere else." Bruce said, while grabbing my arm to lead me outside but I yanked it from him fiercely and walked out of the board room on my own. I had managed to make it to the hallway when I heard Bruce call my name, by the second time I swung around.

"What!?" I shouted as he approached me.

He seemed flustered, "I just wanna explain myself, can I do that?"

"No" I said sternly. "Because honestly, I don't want hear anymore of bullshit-lies." I said and turn to leave, when he grabbed my arm, trying to stop me. I glared at him before pulling my arm away again, "You need to stop grabbing me" I warned, clenching my jaw.

"Then stop walking away from me." Bruce stated sternly, "Look, I didn't mean to offend you... I would never try and hurt you in _anyway_, Lizzie. That was never my intention." He said and he sounded honest, and I wanted to believe him but I was too stubborn.

"I bet that works on all the girls, hm? Sweet apologize, charming smile, make me like I'm _special_." I said, anger and sarcasm dripping from each word.

"Lizzie..." He started

"You're so fake, Bruce... I mean, I wanted to believe- I actually did believe- that you were more but you're not. You're just as fake as everyone else in this town. The only difference is they don't lie about it." I said and turned to leave.

"Lizzie" Bruce called, I swung back around.

"You know what? Stop calling me that. Only my friends call me "Lizzie" and last I checked... we're not friends." I stated harshly before continuing my walk, leaving Bruce there by himself in the hallway.

/\_◊_/\

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Rick asked me as he walked into the backroom of the shop, where I was working on my dad's old bike.

"I am at work" I responded bluntly, not taking my eyes off the bolt I was tightening with a wrench.

"Your other work" Rick added casually, growing used to my vague replies.

"Yeah, I decided to take the day off." I said, standing up and walked over to the toolbox on the wooden counter across the room. I used a shop rag to clean the oil off the wrench before placing into the toolbox.

"I don't think you're allowed to do that, besides you just started."

"I can do whatever I want and I seriously doubt boss-man is going to say anything about it either." I replied coldly.

"Uh-oh" Rick said and I heard him shift behind me before sighing. "What happened?"

"Nothing" I said with an annoyed tone. I really didn't want to talk about it. It had been hours since I last saw Bruce and my blood was still boiling. God, he was the only man that knew how to make my blood boil this way and last this long.

"Liz" I heard Rick say

"Don't call me that!" I said automatically before I could stop myself. Something about hearing someone calls me Liz, like Charles used to makes me sick. "Ever, okay...?" I said, turning to look at him.

I noticed that he was sitting on the ground now, in front of my dad's bike. He lifted his hands in the air as his way of surrendering. "Okay" He said pausing for a moment before adding, "So what happen at work?" I shot him a glance before turning back around and began cleaning off my other tools with the shop rag, just out of boredom. "This problem at work wouldn't happen be about this morning, would it?" Ignoring his question, I continued to clean the tools and until they shined. "Okay" I heard him muttered under his breath, before he shifted again, this time he walked over to me. "Hey" He said, making me turn around by softly grabbing my arms to move me. "Sometimes... it's okay to let someone else take care of you" I rolled my eyes and scoffed. "It's not bad thing. And I think your boss was truly trying to help... I also think he really cares about you." Rick said causing me to furrow my eyebrows.

"Really...?" I asked in disbelief, "And what gives you that idea, you haven't even met him?"

"Actually, I have. We've talked." He said

I furrowed my eyebrows, "When?" I asked

"Just a couple minutes ago, he stopped by." Rick said casually, taking the shop rag from me and polishing some tools as well.

"What?" I snapped

"Yeah, he came by; he wanted to talk to you." He added.

"Well, what- what did you do?" I asked slowly, curiosity getting the best of me.

"I told him "now wasn't the best time". I mean I figured if you were really mad, him talking to you in a place full of very sharp-blunt objects, wouldn't be the best idea." He explained giving me a small smile afterwards, I half-smiled at him in return, trying not to laugh from his joke.

"So, what did _he_ say?" I asked Rick, trying to sound blunt enough, like I didn't care.

"Well..." Rick paused before looking at me, "He seemed genuinely worried... and hurt"

After a moment of taking in those words, I nodded. "Good" I said frankly and returned to cleaning the tools. I could feel Rick staring at me and after a minute, I returned eye contact. "What...?" I snapped

"You like him" He said playfully.

"I do not. If anything, I hate him." I said, almost with a childish tone.

"You want to know what I think?" He asked

"Not really" I responded sarcastically.

"_I think_ you "hate" him so much because deep down, you really like him."

I huffed, "Okay, that's not even possible, you can't hate someone you like. That doesn't make sense."

"Oh but I think it does" He responded. "You like him; you just don't _want_ to like him so you pretend to hate him."

"Who's pretending?" I retorted darkly, eyeing him.

"Okay, if you really don't like him, answer me one question." He said, "Why do you hate him?"

"Because he's an egoistic-playboy who doesn't know how to mind his own business" I answered quickly, and I think it caught Rick off guard at how fast I responded.

"Or maybe and I'm just going out on a limb here but maybe it's because he cares about you and your "business" and that scares you."

"Nothing scares me... not anymore." I replied honestly, looking away from Rick.

"Well... I still think he does. But if you want to deny it, be my guest." He said and began to leave the backroom before stopping, "But just remember, you're only as lonely as you want to be."

"I never said I was lonely." I replied softly.

"You didn't have to" He retorted before leaving me alone.

Sighing, I turned around, leaning against the counter for support as I thought about Rick's words.

I wasn't lonely. I liked being single. It wasn't like I had time for the dating life, or even wanted it. Besides, what kind of guy could truly handle me and my risking-life style? And who would want to...?

/\_◊_/\


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: I haven't double-checked this chapter yet, so there might be a few mistakes or typos and if you could happen to point them out to me, that would be great! I'm looking for an editor btw.**

**DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW PLEASE!**

* * *

**Beyond the Mask**

**Chapter 5**

As I slept through the night, something weird happened. I dreamt. I never dream but at some point it didn't feel like a dream. It felt more like a memory... Like as I stood on a little dry island in the middle of what looked like a lake, I had this aching feeling in my stomach that I had been here before. As I turned in a small circle taking in my surroundings, I concluded this was no dream. It was too dark, dreams were supposed to be full of life, but this place looked dead... like a nightmare.

I kept turning in a slow circle, making sure I didn't miss anything. Something that could suddenly pop out and ambush me. For all I knew, this was a dream or nightmare, so anything was possible.

When I stopped moving, my eyes drifted up higher when I heard the sound of water. I saw two giant metal tunnels and I could see what looked like a body lying in one. I took a step closer but stopped when I saw a huge amount of water come through the tunnels, taking the body with it. As I stood there, mouth slightly open, I watched as the water soon calmed and a body appeared. The body was of a woman, I could tell that much as she floated in the water. Instead of going passed me on the small island, her body washed up onto the dirt. I slowly walked over to her body and began to turn her over, in order to help her if I could. After doing so, I immediately fell backwards with a gasp, and began to crawl away from the body. I then stared at it for a moment, gathering my thoughts.

"Oh my god..." I muttered after crept back and stared at the woman's face. With my breathing becoming shaky, I stared down at the body that was my own. I was so pale and motionless... I looked dead... I was dead.

I knew I died that night but seeing myself like this... it made my skin crawl and it made my blood boil as well. I could see the fresh cuts that pierced my skin, the blood had been washed away from the water but it angered me no less. As I continued to stare, caught up in my own tragedy, the sound of a cat meowing caused my head to snap behind me.

Right as I did this, I awoke with another gasp. I quickly sighed when realized I had been dreaming after all. But as I lay, looking up at the ceiling, another meow entered my ears. Immediately, I lifted myself up and pressed my back against the headboard, staring at the cat who sat, somewhat gracefully, at the end of my bed.

For a moment, the two of us just stared at each other. No sound was made around the room, just complete silence as we stared into each other's eyes. And during that same moment, I began to wonder if I was dreaming again or maybe even hallucinating. I continue to stare and realized… there was certain… understanding in the cat's eyes. Like it knew what I was… and like it knew what I was going through.

Breaking my stare, I heard several knocks come from the front door. I looked back, away from my bedroom door, to the cat but found that it was gone. Glancing around my room, I saw that it had just disappeared. Like it was never there. So maybe I did imagine it.

Crawling out of my bed, I left my bedroom and walked down the hall. I groaned as I looked through the peep hole.

"What do you want?" I said through the door, not wanting to open it.

"I just want to talk about yesterday." He responded, "Please" He added after a minute of silence.

I sighed, closing my eyes briefly before unlocking the dead-bolt and then opening the front door.

When I did, he gave me a quick glance over, taking in my bed wear; a simple pair of pajama shorts and a tank, before returning eye contact.

"Can I come in?" He asked politely

"No" I said bluntly and with an emotionless expression.

"Please" He said in a lower voice, practically begging.

"You know you say that word a lot... as if it makes a difference." I stated

"I just want to talk... try and make amends."

"Why...?" I gaped out, almost desperately.

"I want to be your friend."

"Why...?" I repeated, slightly more confused this time.

He half-chuckled, "Is it that hard for you to believe that someone wants to be friend?"

"Yes" I answered honestly.

He fully chuckled this time, "Most girls would be flattered to be friends with me." He said

"I'm not most girls" I responded

"I've gathered that." He replied.

I let out a sigh, "Okay, I'll put on a pot of coffee." I said and began walking down the hallway, towards the kitchen.

"I'm not really thirsty" He said

"It's not for you" I said, not glancing back, I heard him mutter the word "Right" after my comment. "Oh and just so we're clear, I'm not girl, I'm woman, okay?" I said when I was halfway to the kitchen.

"Yes ma'am" He replied, being some-what sarcastic, as he shut my door.

/\_◊_/\

"So, how did you find my apartment anyway?" I asked while I placed a new filter into the coffee machine before adding the blended beans. I glanced over my shoulder at Bruce while he sat at the bar, "You're not stalking me, are you?" I asked giving off a serious tone but I had a playful look on my face.

He lightly chuckled, shaking his head. "No, I'm not stalking you. I, um, checked your file."

"Really..." I said with a pause, not looking at him. "Which one...?" I added

"Uh, how many "files" do you have?" He said with a quiet chuckle.

"Not a lot, just a couple." I said honestly, "It wasn't my police record, was it?" I asked being completely serious.

"You have a police record?" He asked

"Have you seen my police record?" I asked

"No" He replied

"Then I don't have a police record" I responded and shot him a smile which he returned catching what I was putting out.

"You're not as bad as you want people to think" He said

"Yeah, well..." I said pushing the bottom, turning on the coffee maker. I then turned around, leaning against the counter, facing him with my arms crossed over my chest. "I'm not as good as either."

"I don't believe that." He said, "I think you're just worried if you let people in, they'll disappoint you."

"Don't they?" I asked then added "And what is it with people thinking they know me? I mean, you're like the third person to tell me who I "really am", and not who I pretend to be."

"Are you pretending?" He asked

"Are you?" I retorted then walked over to the bar and sat down. I was now right across from him.

"What do you mean?" He asked casually, trying to brush off my remark.

"I mean, you don't seem... like yourself. I mean I really can't even say that much because I've only known you a couple days but you act like your being one person to try and cover up another." I said honestly.

"Is it really that obvious?" He asked as his eyes looked like he was deep in thought as he stared at me.

"Maybe not to others but it is to me." I said, "But that could just be me... and I could be wrong too, it's unlikely, but I guess there's a small chance." I said, he smiled at me and it was a genuine smile. At first I smiled back, lightly but after a moment, it started to scare me. Not him, but the meaning behind the smile.

"Um," I started to say, clearing my throat, "I think I'm gonna go change into something a little more decent." I said and left the kitchen, heading to my room quickly.

As I entered, I shut my door, locking it before opening up my closet doors.

Right as I was slipping on a pair of dark blue jeans, I heard my phone ring on the nightstand.

I quickly hurried over to it, zipping my pants up as I did so. When I lifted my phone, I saw that it was an unknown number. I answered it anyway.

"Hello?" I said into the phone while I moved back to my wardrobe to grab a long sleeve white v-neck. "Hello?" I said again when no one answered.

Then suddenly, right as I was about to hang up, a voice spoke. "I had a dream about you last night."

It took me a moment to place the voice, but when I did, I rolled my eyes. "Ted?" I said over the phone and my suspicions were confirmed when he chuckled on the other end. "Ted Grant, you son of a bitch. Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I joked into the phone.

He chuckled again, "It's not like it would kill you-kill you." He said

I half smiled, muttering "Right"

"So, when were you going to tell me you were in town?" He asked

"Um… I only just got back into town; I was going to call you tomorrow after I got settled in."

"For a manipulated woman, you're terrible liar, Elizabeth." He teased, calling me by my whole name. No one ever did that anymore.

"I'm not lying." I said over the phone.

"Oh really…?" He replied, "So you moved in today, not two weeks ago?"

I gaped, "Have you been keeping tabs on me, Ted?" I questioned

"Oh, I don't have to; the newspaper is doing that for me." I furrowed my eyebrows, not understanding what he was referring to. "_"New Cat Burglar, twisted hero or criminal…?""_ I heard him read dramatically. I silently cursed myself, remembering that article.

"Ted…" I started but he cut me off.

"No, no, wait. That's not best part." He said before continuing on, "_"But who is this unknown woman in black, who made off with the jewels and cash? Is she Gotham's new cat burglar? If so, what does that make her for stopping a robbery, just to have her own? Is she a twisted hero... or just another criminal?"_" He paused, "This is beautiful… you just can't make this stuff up." Ted teased with a laugh. "And don't bother lying about it, this article has you written all over it, babe." Ted stated no doubt with a smirk on his face the whole time.

"I wasn't going to deny it" I said, "And don't call me "babe"" I demanded.

"Anyway…" He said stretching the word out, ignoring my last comment. "What are you doing right now? Well, whatever it is, cancel. I want to take you breakfast and I'm not taking no for an answer" He said and I rolled my eyes. Same-old Ted.

"I can't cancel. I have someone over."

"Ditch 'em." He said casually.

"I can't, he's my boss."

"Oh, mixing business with pleasure, I see." He teased

"No, it's not like that." I stated, "He just came over this morning to apology for being an ass yesterday."

"Has he apologized yet?"

"Kind of" I said leaning against my wardrobe.

"Well, accept it, ditch him and come downstairs so we can go to breakfast."

I paused for a moment, "Wait, are you already here?" I asked

"Yep" He replied casually.

"So you have been keeping tabs on me?" I said

"Only because I care about you _and_ your safety" He said, I manage to crack a smile at his sweet, somewhat creepy, comment. "Now move your ass. If you're not down here in five minutes, I'm coming up to kidnap you." He said over the phone. I just scoffed before hanging up the phone.

I quickly fixed my hair and then grabbed some accessories for my outfit; a pair of silver tiered earrings, a rhinestone bangle set-bracelet and a cascading chain necklace. Next, I grabbed my black leather ankle boots that folded over and my gray (cotton) jacket. On my way out of my room, I put together my black leather GUCCI bag at the door before walking back towards the kitchen.

"Hey Bruce" I said entering the room, he looked up from his phone instantly and seemed caught off guard by my appearance. "Slight change of plans" I said, "I just remember I have to meet up with an old friend this morning. Sorry, raincheck?" I said

"Oh, yeah, that's okay." He said, standing up from his seat. "I actually need to leave myself." I nodded and we both walked to the door, silently.

"Oh crap, coffee maker." I said to myself remembering it was still on.

Right as I turned to head back, Bruce said "I already turned it off for you."

"Oh… thank you." I said before attempting to open the front door, but Bruce did that for me and let me step out first. I quickly walked passed him, with my bag, before locking the door after he shut it. The small walk to the elevator was quiet along with the elevator ride itself.

The only time Bruce finally spoke was when we stepped off the elevator, into the lobby.

"So, um, since we didn't get to finish our earlier conversation." He started, stepping in front of me, keeping me from walking any further. "I'll get to the point now. I really am sorry if I crossed a line. I haven't really been around people a lot in the past couple years so I'm not up to date with all the rules and guidelines."

"What do you mean you _"haven't really been around people"_?"

"I left several years ago, I needed to clear my head and I just recently returned." I nodded along.

"I know what you mean. That's kind of why I left. I needed to be somewhere… other than here."

We both shared a small smile and he nodded, agreeing with me.

"I, um, I have to go. My friend is actually here, he's picking me up." I could have sworn I saw Bruce's face fall slightly at my words but he quickly smiled and stepped aside, letting me pass.

"I hope to see you at work soon." He called after me; I just gave him a wave which he returned.

Exiting through the revolving doors, I immediately stopped when I saw Ted parked in front of the building. More specifically, his limo was parked in front of the building, with him leaning against it, waiting for me. A light chuckle left my throat while I smile at him, seeing his appearance. He was dressed nicely in a dark blue suit with a light pink tie. His hair was perfectly coiffed and he wore a smirk on his face.

I walked towards him, "Ted Grant" I said

"Elizabeth Kyle" He said back, repeating a proper tone.

"It's really good to see you" I said after he put his arms out, wanting a hug and I complied.

"Good to see you too" He whispered, giving me a kiss on the forehead before pulling away. "Ready to go…?" He asked, I nodded. He opened the back door of the limo for me and I complied by stepping inside.

/\_◊_/\

Instead of going to a restaurant, like I thought we were, Ted took me back to his duplex. He made me breakfast in his kitchen while we chatted, catching up about our lives. I hadn't seen him in almost a year, but there wasn't much for me to talk about. I did, however, talk about new nighttime activities.

"You know I wasn't surprised when I read about you in the paper" He said

"Really…?"

"Yeah, I mean I know you have a thing for jewels… but I was surprised to hear that you robbed a bank as well."

"It's not the first time… doubt it'll be the last." I practically muttered but I knew he heard.

"Did I ever tell you at about the time I robbed a bank back in Moscow?" He asked as he picked up the plates and walked over to a small table near the large window.

"_You_ robbed a bank?" I asked, as he placed the food on the table and then pulled out my seat. "Thanks" I said as I sat down.

As he sat down in front of me, he continued. "Yep, it was a long time ago."

"Why would you rob a bank?" I asked, "I mean, clearly you didn't need the money." I said motioning to his duplex, which had to cost at least a thousand each month, or even a week.

"Yeah, well it wasn't about the money." He stated

"What was it about?" I asked, with a small scoff as I picked up my fork and began to eat the strawberry pancakes Ted had made especially for me.

"Risk, excitement, the rush…"

"So you're an adrenaline junkie?" I wondered

"Yeah… I just wanted to see what the fuss was about." He said and picked at his food. I just chuckled, staring at him.

"So how much did you take?"

"A couple thousand, not much really. It was all return later anyway."

"Wait, you returned the money?" I asked

"Well, I probably didn't have to because it was my bank but I didn't need it. So I just let it outside the police department, with a note saying that it belonged to my bank and the police safety returned it back to me." He explained

"Okay, let me get this straight. You robbed a bank- your own bank, of only a couple thousand dollars, just to return it all back?" He nodded along, taking a bite of his pancakes. "Wow, you're just like the worst robber ever." I commented and he nodded in agreement.

After a moment of silence, he spoke. "Do you know why I brought you here?" He asked

"Easy access to your bedroom" I replied sarcastically.

"Well… yeah" He said arrogantly, sending me a smirk causing me to laugh. "But not just that…" He continued on, "It's because I wanted to talk to you about something and I didn't want to do it in public. I'm a private person, really." He said and I quietly scoffed. "You know what I mean… Anyway, I wanted to talk about us."

"Us…?" I repeated, not sure where he was going.

"Yeah, we used to date, remember?"

"Uh, yeah, I vaguely recall" I said slowly, almost sarcastically.

"Well, I was wondered what happened to us" He said

"Um, I think it's because you and I just couldn't take the pressure of a relationship."

"Exactly" He said suddenly

"What…?" I asked

"What if there was no pressure?" He asked, "What if there was no pressure of the "ship"?"

"Then it would just be a relation- Oh!" I said, "I see where you're getting at. Very subtle, Ted."

"Well, I'm anything but direct." He commented

"So you're suggested we stay friends but still have…?"

"Hell yes, I mean that part of the relationship was never a problem."

"No, it wasn't" I replied and kind of laughed nervously at the end. "So you want to be friends but with…"

"All of the benefits of a relationship, without being in a relationship." He said and he sounded like he had planned this out.

"Okay" I said after a moment of thinking and he seemed slightly caught off guard.

"Wow, really?" He said, "For a second there I thought you were going to hit me."

"Oh, I probably will later but right now, it doesn't sound so bad of an idea."

"Great" He said, "When should we start?" He asked

"We could start now. Is now for good you?" I asked

"Now's perfect. Wanna go to the bedroom?"

"Lead the way" was all I said as we left the table.

/\_◊_/\

Stirring in my sleep, I prayed the sound of ringing was just my imagination.

"Lizzie, you're phone is ringing" I heard Ted mumble next to me, waking up from his slumber.

"Just ignore it." I said back and began to fall back asleep when it finally stopped ringing. After a few moments it started again causing me to groan. "Oh come on." I groaned

"They'll stop calling if you answer."

"You answer it then." I snapped with my eyes still closed, refusing to open them.

"Fine" I heard him retort and the bed began to shift slightly so immediately I leaned up.

"I'll get it" I said reaching over to grab my phone from off the nightstand. I sighed seeing the caller I.D., "Hello?" I said into the phone after answering it.

"Hey, where are you?" Laura's voice rang into my ear.

"At a friend's" I said and from the corner of my eye, I saw Ted smile while he 'slept'. I rolled my eyes at him and continued listening to Laura. "Why?" I asked

"Because I'm at your apartment now, you're not here and Janie is about to pass out from being so tired."

I slapped my hand against my forehead, eyes closing briefly when I remember that today was the day Laura was visiting. "Oh, crap" I muttered. I felt Ted shift again and I saw him sit up and looked towards me with a confused look. I pulled the phone away, "I forgot Laura and Janie were visiting today." He made an "o" face before nodding. "I'm really sorry Laura, I completely forgot." I said into the phone. "Give me 15 minutes"

"I'm gonna take a shower" Ted whispered leaving the bed and I watched him as he walked into the bathroom, naked.

"On second thought, make it 30." I said before hanging up and walking to the bathroom at the same time I heard water start running.

/\_◊_/\

"I'm so sorry" I said walking down the hallway, after leaving the elevator in my building. I had spotted Laura and Janie sitting outside my door. "You know you could have just gone downstairs to get a new key, right?" Laura just continued to scowl at me, "Never mind" I muttered. I pulled out a key, unlocked the door and then took the sleeping Janie from Laura's lap and carried her inside while Laura got their bags.

Laura walked, too quietly, to the kitchen area while I went into the guest room, stilling holding Janie. Using one arm, I untucked the blanket before laying her down and then covering her up. I brushed away the hair that covered her face with my finger tips before leaning down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

"Sleep tight, kitty" I whispered before flicking off the light and closing the door quietly behind me.

"So where were you?" Laura asked as soon as I walked into the kitchen. I had just now noticed most of her bags were in fact groceries and she was now cooking up a storm in my kitchen.

She didn't even make eye contact with me as she spoke; she just kept chopping up vegetables with a butcher's knife.

"I already told you, I was at a friend's." I responded then sat down at the island.

"Do you normally shower at your friend's house?" She questioned, with more of an attitude. I wasn't sure what she was mad at; me being late or me being at my "friend's" house.

"Am I under interrogation for some reason because I don't remember doing anything wrong?" I questioned with my voice and attitude calm.

"Of course you don't… you never do." She said, mostly to herself, as she continued to chop the remaining vegetables and then walks over to the boiling pot.

"Do you have something to say to me, Lauralie?" I said usually her full name, while I stared hard at the back of her head.

She swung around, "Yeah, I do and I want to say it but then I think… "What's the point?"" She said, "I mean it's not going to change anything. You'll still come up with some vague answer, or you'll just lie to me again"

"What are you talking about, Laura?" I asked, completely bewildered about what her problem was today. "I'm not lying to you."

"Really…?" She asked, "So where you tonight?" She asked

"I was at a friend's, Laura. God, how many times do I have to say it?"

"What "friend""? She asked, "You have no friends."

"Ouch" I commented bluntly in a mutter.

"You and your lies and secrets…" She grumbled.

"Oh, so that's what this is about." I said "Laura, we've had this discussion before, and I thought we had an understanding."

"No, we don't have a god-damn understanding. The only time we'll have an "understanding" is when you tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth!" I yelled and then out of anger, I grabbed a plate that was on the counter and throw it against the wall, causing it to shatter into pieces. I saw Laura jump slightly from my sudden outburst.

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes briefly and tried to lower my heart rate. Calmly, I looked at Laura, who seemed slightly shaken, and said, "Laura… I've told you this before and apparently I need to say it. I want to tell you, so badly, about everything but I can't. There are things I know, things I've done, things that have happened over the years… that are best kept secret. Now you need to accept that for how it is, and let it go."

"No, here are your choices" She retorted, trying to take charge, "You either tell me, or I'm walking out that door and I won't come back."

I took a deep breath, "If I tell you… you'll walk out that door anyway."

Laura's face softens as tears filled with eyes. "Is it that bad?" she asked

"To you…?" I said then added, "It's that bad" I said honestly.

She went to say something but a little voice cut in. "Are ya'll fighting?" I turned in my chair to see a little blonde standing in the kitchen doorway, rubbing her sleepy eyes.

"No, we're not fighting." Laura said when I looked to her for an answer. "Go back to bed, sweetie, I'll be there in a minute." Janie paused for a second; looking to me and when I nodded to her with a small smile she then walked off.

It got quiet for a minute as Laura took a deep breath and lifted her head slightly. "Fine, I'll agree to accept the fact that you don't want me to know whatever it is you're hiding… for Janie." She said, "But I will not "let it go"." She stated, firmly.

I just gave her a small nod before standing up. She turned away and went back to the boiling water. Before I reached doorway, I turned back. "And just so know…" I started, "I was at a friend's place… all day. He's name is Ted Grant; you can Google him if you want. He helped me out of a very dark place a couple years ago and… he's the closest thing I have ever had to a friend." I then walked away before Laura had a chance to turn around and say something, if she said anything at all.

/\_◊_/\

After waking up at the crack of dawn, I immediately went into my office, with my phone, and locked the door behind me. I sat down at my desk before turning on my desktop and let it load for a minute before opening my search engine.

I typed in "batman" and got over a thousand results so I added "Gotham city" to the search and it shorter the results by a hundred or two. I came across a link form "The Gotham Globe" which I knew as the town's current newspaper so I clicked on the link referring to the "batman".

As I read over, I found that this reporter of the Gotham Globe had been keeping a timeline on Batman every since he came to Gotham, or appeared, which apparently was only a week before me. There weren't any photos of Batman and I wasn't surprised, he didn't seem like the photogenic type.

Instead of reading the entire article, I scrolled down, to the bottom to see who the reporter was. Sighing when I saw the name, I didn't know if I was surprised or annoyed to see _her_ name.

"Vicki Vale" I said out loud staring at the screen, "Looks like you still have big mouth." I commented

I clicked on her name and was sent to her page, where there was a list of several other articles of hers. None interests me, except the one about Catwoman- well me.

As I was reading, I heard my phone ring beside me.

I furrowed my eyebrows to see Ted's name plastered across the screen with a photo of him clearly lying down on his bed. He must have taken it while I was sleeping. Sneaky bastard…

"Speak of devil…" I said after placing Bluetooth in my ear and answering the call.

"… and he shall appear." Ted finished

"You're not coming over, are you? Because my sister is still over." I said sternly into the phone, waiting for his reply.

"Simmer down, no surprises visits… today." I could just hear the smirk on his face. I rolled my eyes and continued reading the article. "So what are you doing today?"

"Not sure, but what I'm doing right now is reading an article." I paused, "Do you know who Vicki Vale is?" I asked

"Yeah, isn't she some hot-shot reporter?" He questioned

"Or so she thinks" I retorted in a mutter

"Oh…" He said, "Does someone not like reporters?"

"I hate reporters" I stated, "More specially this one." I knew he would ask why so I beat him to the punch. "I went to high school with her, we weren't exactly friends. In fact, she and I couldn't stay far enough away from each other."

"Sounds dramatic" I scoffed, "So what's the article?"

"Is this line secure?" I asked first.

"Always" He responded

"In that case, it's about me- well Catwoman. I wonder what Vick would think if she knew she was _actually_ writing about me… her face expression would be… monumental."

I heard him chuckle, "That's mean, Elizabeth."

"Well, I _am_ mean" I retorted, "So why are you calling?" I asked after a moment.

"I was wondering if you wanted to join me for dinner tonight."

"That would depend on the alternative meaning" I countered

"I promise there are no strings, no second-agenda, just two friends having dinner and catching up. I had planned on us doing that yesterday but we didn't really talk much."

I smiled and lightly laughed. "True… okay, sure. As long as you understand it's not in any way a date."

"It's not a date, got it. I'll make sure to write it on my hand as reminder." He joked, and I smiled. "I'm thinking the Plateau, say seven o'clock?"

"Let's make it eight; I just remember I have a few things to do." I said into the earpiece.

"Need any assistance?" He asked

"No, but you'll be the first one I'll call if I do. Bye, Ted."

"Goodbye, Elizabeth" He said before our phone called ended.

As I continuing read, I couldn't help but feel slightly anger at Vicki's point of view. She seems to make it like Catwoman (me) was personally robbing her.

_Like she has anything I want_, I thought.

I heard a small tap on my office door, causing my head to snap upward. Since the door has fogged glass, I couldn't make out who it was so I minimized the page, and turned off the computer screen while saying "Just a sec" before standing up to unlock and open the door.

"Whatcha doing?" Laura asked causing me to arch an eyebrow at her question. "And I'm not interrogating you; it's just a harmless question." She added, clearly not wanting to start something up.

I sighed, coming up with a lie. "Looking for spare parts" I said and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion so I added "For dad's old bike… I'm fixing it up down at the shop."

She made an 'O' shape with her mouth then smiled. "That's great; I can't wait to see it." She said then paused, "I was going to make some breakfast, do you want any?" She asked

"Uh yeah, I'll be in there in a minute to help you out." She nodded and we both shared a smile before she suddenly hugged me. I huffed when she squeezed me too tight.

"I'm sorry" She whispered

"Me too" I said, hugging her back shortly before she let go and walked off. I waited a minute after closing my door to lock it and return to my computer.

Turning on the screen, I reopen the page and continued my research. At the bottom of Vicki's reports, she posted a link of what apparently was a sketch of me as Catwoman. I clicked on the link, and just stared at the drawing that covered my screen.

For a minute, I just blinked a couple times studying the drawing carefully. After a few more seconds, I broke into a small fit of laughter. I couldn't help it. All I could see was the words "SUSPECTED CATWOMAN" written above the sketch, that I guess was supposed to look like me, but could pass as anyone. There was no eye, hair or even skin color to the drawing, it was just a plain gray sketch but it had a dark black mask, similar to the one I had worn during that bank robbery a few weeks ago.

After returning to the article, I noticed there were a few comments, but only one caught my attention.

One woman (or so it says) said "This town is filled with nothing but criminals... if it isn't one, it's another." And there was a link connected to her comment as well. I clicked on it and what loaded was another article, but by a different reporter. It was a report about a murder down in the sewers a few days ago. If it were just some simple murder, I wouldn't have given it much attention but when I saw pictures of the crime scene, something stuck out to me.

The body of the victim had literally been torn to shreds. I mean he was still continued and all but he had long, deep cuts all over his body, including several, large cuts on his chest. The report said that he might have been tortured but I didn't think so. It didn't look like separate marks at different times, it looked more like claw marks. Suddenly curiosity getting the best of me, I began searching the internet for more information on Gotham's sewers. I saved the last two articles and continued on with the results. I had typed in "Creatures in Gotham's sewers" and I was surprised to see as many report/articles about them.

I saw several topics saying "Alligators in the sewers" but most of the articles were about how silly those rumors were and how they couldn't possibly be true but honestly it wouldn't surprise me. After all, this is Gotham. Although, I understand why some people would think "alligators" in the sewers would be crazy to believe, it is a crazy thought but who's to say it isn't true?

Right as I was going to continue researching, I heard footsteps coming towards my office. I quickly shut off my computer and unlocked the door then opening coming face to face with Laura. She took a step back, caught off guard by my sudden presence. "Oh, hey" She said, breathing out.

"What do you need?" I said, closing my office door behind me while watching her face.

"I was going to tell you breakfast is done and Janie won't eat without you."

"Oh okay" I said with a small smile and we walked into the dinner room. Laura must have placed out plates down and even set the table. "Wow... you set the table too. Fancy." I commented, approaching the table. "Good morning kitten" I said giving Janie a kiss on the top of her head before sitting beside her, in the end chair.

"Mornin', Aunt Lizzie" She said with her cute little voice while sending me a grin widely showing off her teeth.

"Did you lose a tooth?" I asked acting excited, and she nodded with another wide smile. "Well, come here and let me get a better look." I said, patting my leg. She left her seat and came to sit in my lap and she turned towards me and opened her mouth, giving me a clearly view of the fact she was now missing one of her front teeth. "Well it's officially, you're growing up." I said and stuck out my bottom lip in a pout, "Which means you won't be my kitten much longer."

Janie shook her head, frowning. "I'll always be your kitten, Aunt Lizzie" She said so sweetly that I couldn't help the smile that took over my lips. If I didn't have control over my emotions, I could have cried right then but crying wasn't really my thing.

"Yeah, you're right." I said, smiling softly. She smiled back and gave me a tight hug.

"I love you, Aunt Lizzie" She said while hugging me.

I hugged her back, "I love you too, kitten" I said then pulled her away slightly. "Now, let's eat."

I said right as Laura walked back into the room, holding a bottle of syrup in her hand.

As we all sat eating, Laura spoke. "So what are you doing today?"

"Um, I have to run a few errands later then I'm having dinner with a friend tonight."

She nodded, "Okay, well until then I was wondering if you would like to go to the park or maybe a museum with us?"

"Yeah, I would love to. Let's make it the park today. Maybe we can go to the museum, when I have more time to walk around." I said with a small smile towards Laura then I watched Janie pick at her scrambles eggs. "Do you not like your eggs, kitten?"

"They taste funny" She said with a curl of her lips as she stared with disgust at the eggs. I just chuckled while Laura gave a firm-mothering stare.

"Sweetie, you need to eat all your breakfast."

"Here" I said taking the syrup bottle and dripping a little bit of syrup onto of her eggs. Not covering it, just giving her eggs something I knew she would like, sugar. "Try that" She used her fork to eat a small piece of eggs and then Laura and I both watched her stick the egg in her mouth. Suddenly, Janie smiled and swallowed her eggs. "Better?" I asked and she nodded, eating more. I glanced over at Laura, who seemed bewildered at how easy I got the pickiest eater to eat something she didn't like at first. "You have to work with her. It's all about the compromises" I told her and she just shook her head lightly but crackled a side smile.

"Sometimes I wonder if she's your kid, not mine." Laura stated

I chuckled, "We're just close." I said

"Oh believe me, I've noticed." She said and we both just smiled at Janie. She could definitely pass as my kid but she was all Laura's. She also reminded me of our father. She had his eyes and at times, it was somewhat comforting.

/\_◊_/\

While Laura soaked the dishes before putting them into the dish washer, she and I just talked. There was no arguments, no disagreements, just her and I talking about casually things, like normal sisters would.

Interrupting our current conversation, Janie walked into the room holding my cell phone.

"Why do you have my phone, kitten?" I said, with a curious smile.

"Someone's on the phone for you."

"Who...?"

"I don't know..." She said and my smile faded as I climbed off the stool and took the phone from Janie.

"Hello?" I said and then when there was no response, I pulled the phone away to check the caller ID and saw that it said "Blocked". I tensed up and placed the phone back to my ear. "Hello?" I said again and when no one responded, I just hung up. I glanced back seeing Laura staring at me worried. "Wrong number" I said casually, giving her a comforting smile. She just nodded, not asking questions.

I bent down in front of Janie, to her level and asked lowly "Sweetie, did you say anything to that person on the phone?" Janie shook her head no. "Did the person say anything to you?" She shook her head no again causing me to sigh with relief. "Okay, kitten, I need you to listen to me. I don't want to ever answer my phone again okay? If it rings, bring it to me okay? Don't answer it. You hear me?" I said softly, she nodded in return.

"Yes, Aunt Lizzie."

"Okay," I said with a smile giving her a kiss on the forehead. Janie left her room, heading back into the living room, probably to watch TV so I took the moment to enter my office and dial a number.

"Couldn't wait until tonight to hear my voice, could you?" Ted's voice filled my ear.

"Actually, I need a favor." I said into the phone.

"Uh-oh, you sound stressed. What's wrong...?" He asked

"Someone just called my phone."

"And that's a problem?" He asked

"It is when it's under a blocked number and no one says anything on the other end." He didn't say anything so I continued. "Janie answered the phone, Ted; I need to make sure... I just need to know who was calling."

"Okay, okay, I understand. I can run a trace, if that's what you want?"

"Yes, please" I said into the phone, running an hand through my hair.

"Okay, I'll trace the call on your phone and see what I find, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible, okay?" I didn't respond at first, thinking about who could have been on that phone. "Elizabeth?" I heard him say, drawing me from my thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"Stop worrying; it was probably just a prank caller. Don't make a big deal out of something that could end up being nothing." He said calmly

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"I'll still run the tracker and call you later if I find anything, okay?"

"Yeah, okay." I said

"Bye" He said

"Bye" I said quickly before hanging up my phone. Standing there for a minute, I kept thinking the worst. What if it wasn't a prank caller, what if it was someone from my past, and what if they heard Janie's voice? I tried so hard to keep my "hobbies" from my personal life and I always feared what could happen if they mixed. If one of my "enemies" from my past found out I had family, I would be doomed and so would Laura and Janie.

The sound of my ringtone caused me to jump slightly. I relaxed when I saw that it was Ted's name. I answered quickly. "That was fast" I said

"Yeah, it was a pretty easy trace. The phone call came from a deposable cell so I couldn't find a name but I got an address."

"What is it?" I said quickly

"Why don't you let me take care of it and you stay with Janie and your sister right now, okay?"

I was quiet for a minute before sighing, "Okay, fine I'll stay here but I still want the address."

"Elizabeth-" He started

"I'm not going there; I just want to run a trace of my own to see if I can find any information by using my mad-hacker skills." I said in a tease in an attempt to soften the chance of him giving in.

"Okay... but you better not go there, I mean it, Elizabeth."

"Okay, I promise." I said into the phone, grabbing a notepad and pen.

"The address is 245 Northway St."

"Northway St.?" I said pausing after I wrote it "Isn't that in the Narrows?" I asked

"Yep, that's why I don't want you going there."

"Who would be calling me from the Narrows?" I asked, mostly out loud to myself.

"I don't know but just to be safe, I don't want you going anywhere near the Narrows until I check it out myself, are we clear?" He said, using his serious voice.

"Uh-oh, you're using your serious voice." I teased

"Elizabeth, are we clear?" He repeated, meaning business.

"Yeah, we're clear" I said after sighing.

"I'll see you for dinner tonight?" He questioned

"Yeah, of course, see you then" I said before hanging up the phone.

I sighed closing my eyes, resting my hands on my sides, and trying to clear my head of all the bad thoughts. I heard a small tap on my office door before it was opened, revealing Laura.

"Hey" She said softly. It was starting to worry me out how nice she was being. How she wasn't being nosey and how she was even "respecting" my privacy. It was so unlike her. "Are you okay?" She asked, genuinely worried.

"Yeah, why...?" I asked causally, seeming less stressed than what I really was.

"You seemed tense earlier after that phone call."

"Yeah, it was probably prank caller, nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure...?" She asked lowly, not pushing but like she wanted reassuring.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I said giving her my best reassuring smile. "So what time are we leaving for the park?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

Catching my drift, Laura replied "Does an hour sound good to you? I want to go before the weather gets colder." I nodded along, she went to leave but stopped and asked "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine" I said with a small smile. I knew she didn't fully believe me but she didn't push, instead she just nodded her head and walked out of my office.

/\_◊_/\

We spent at least 4 hours at the park either; playing on the playground, eating a snack or feeding the ducks crackers. And Janie's favorite part was getting ice cream, and to be honest, it was my favorite too. It was definitely fun and relaxing to spend time with them. I even goofed off at the playground, while on the monkey bars. I showed off by flipping myself upward so I would land on top of the bars and then I walked across them and to impress Janie, I did several backflips and always landed perfectly. Janie loved it, even clapped rapidly with a huge smile on her face, while Laura tried not to show how worried she was. I'm sure it scared her to see me doing this and I'm sure she worried I would get myself hurt. But after I landed perfectly, without a scratch, she would smile and clap her hands too.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Laura asked me as we sat down on a bench, eating our ice cream while Janie played on the swings. We all had our favorites; Laura had Almond-swirl, Janie had strawberry coded with sprinkles, which she practically gulped down within a minute, and I had regular chocolate with a few sprinkles as well.

"Um, a few years ago I took some classes." I said and that was true, that's where I learned those moves. "Remember that guy I mention before, Ted?" Laura nodded "Well, he's the one who taught me. He has his own gym downtown and a couple years ago, he taught me how to defend myself."

"Really...?" I nodded. "Why did you need to learn to defend yourself?" She asked

"Well, I mean, everyone needs to know. Especially in the town we live in, people get robbed every day and a lot of things could go wrong." I said as I watched Janie on the playground, keeping a close eye her and my surroundings at the same time.

"Well that makes sense, I guess." Laura said and I glanced at her, studying her features. She seems worried but she said nothing. Sighing, I figure maybe I could explain a little further about my situation.

"Okay," I said taking a deep breath, "You want to know what happened _that night_, the one I ever talk about?"

Laura looked at me and shook her head slowly, "You don't have to tell me anything."

I nodded, "Yeah, I do." I said and she didn't argue. "You see that night, Charles and I were supposed to go to dinner well... we never made it there." I said, looking away from her but I knew she was staring at me. "He... needed to stop by work and you know Charles, work always, _always_came first to him. So we did. And he went in and after a while, I got tired of waiting and went in after him. I don't remember all of what he was saying but what I do know is I was in the wrong place at the wrong time and I heard something I shouldn't have..." I lightly chuckled, humorless. "It's funny really, the irony." I said making eye contact. "Curiosity kills the cat."

I said, "But in my case, it was the death that made the cat come to life." I said lowly, my eyes drifting in thought. I quickly snapped out of my own trance and returned to what I was saying. "Anyway, they caught me and something happened that night I'll never forget." I said, returning eye contact again. Laura's eyes were wide and glazed, like she was tearing up and distress was all over her face.

"What did they do to you?" She asked lowly.

"That's not the point Laura, the point is I overheard something and I paid for it. And now, it's up to me to make sure that they... they pay for it as well." I looked at her and it was like a whole new expression on her face. She seemed stunned by my words but she had a look of understanding.

"I can't believe I'm gonna say this..." She started, "But if they did… what I think they did..." She paused before continuing, "Then you do what you have do." I inhale deeply, filling like a huge weigh had been lifted.

"I will... but I need you to remember something... Charles is a bad guy, Laura and if you ever see him, you need to avoid him. Don't talk to him, don't even look at him. And whatever you do, keep him away from Janie."

"You don't think he would hurt her...?"

"I saw a new side of Charles five years ago... nothing he does would surprise me anymore." I commented, returning my eyes to the playground, seeing Janie still swinging away at the swing sets.

"Did he hurt you?" Laura asked and I sighed

"No, no he didn't hurt me. Not in the way you think." I said, not looking at her and that wasn't a lie either. Charles never laid a hand on me; he just let his lackeys finish me off instead. For all I knew, Charles didn't know it was me in the water pipe with his lackeys, but it didn't change the anger I felt towards him.

I knew Laura was going to start asking more, small questions so I said "Hey, it's getting late. We should probably head back; I have to get ready for dinner soon." I stood up and called for Janie, who immediately came running towards us, out of breath. "Did you have fun?" I asked, changing my mood for the little girl.

"Yeah!" She said, almost in a yell. Her smile faded when she looked passed me, "Why is mommy crying?" I glanced back to see Laura trying to wipe away from stray tears.

"Mommy is just tired; it's been a long day. Ready to go home now...?" She nodded, "Alright, you want a piggyback ride?" I asked and she nodded several times. I bent down enough for her to put her arms around my neck, but not too tightly, and I gripped her legs until I stood up and then she kept them around my waist by herself.

Laura had joined us, her eyes were a little red but besides that she looked completely normal. Maybe it was too soon to tell her, I just knew though I needed give her something. I also knew I couldn't tell her the details of that night. I don't know how she would handle it, but my guess is it wouldn't be great.

I realized that lately I had been breaking my own rules to please or comfort people. What kind of person am I turning into?

/\_◊_/\

As I stood in the mirror, putting on my last earring, I saw my sister appear in the reflection.

"You look pretty" She said softly and I lightly smiled.

"Thank you" I said before adding some light pink lipstick to my lips.

"So you're going on a date with this guy Ted?" She asked

"It's not date" I said instantly while I added a little mascara to my eyelashes. "It's just two friends having dinner."

"Oh... well how close of friends are you?" She asked

"Um, close, I guess?" I said, not really sure where she was getting at.

"Oh okay" She said casually then paused before adding, "It's just you're not getting any younger"

I scoffed, a small smile creeping onto my lips. "Oh, god, is that what this is about?" I said and she gave me a modest smile. "Well what about you? You're not getting any younger either."

"I know but I'm still three years younger than you, so I'm still okay, plus I have Janie to take care of right now. I don't need a man."

"Neither do I."

"Fine, a woman then, I won't care." I chuckled at her comment, "I just... I hate leaving you here all alone."

"I'm not alone." I stated

"Yeah, you kind of are."

I turned around to face her and gave her a comforting smile. "I'm not alone, Laura. I like being by myself. I enjoy the space and quiet. It's... relaxing." I said and walked out of the bathroom to grab my coat off the bed, Laura stayed leaning against my bathroom doorway, but just turned to face me. "And besides, if I wanted to be with somebody, I found be with someone but right now, I'm enjoying being "single"." I slipped on my coat, "Plus I don't have time for the dating life."

"Says the woman going on a date" Laura said as I walked out my room

"It's not a date!" I stated loudly in the hallway.

"Okay, dinner then" She corrected herself. "But you say you're not ready but here you are dressing up to go to dinner with a man."

"Okay, first off, he's just a friend, and two, the only reason I'm dressing up is because it's a fancy-like restaurant downtown."

"Oh, fancy" She teased, in return I gave a glare as I picked up my clutch from the small table near the door. I laid it there earlier after packing in anything I needed. Cash, phone, a small knife (just in case) and a tube of lipstick, you never know when you might need those things.

"Aunt Lizzie, where are you goin'?" I heard my niece say as she came from her room, rubbing her eyes. She clearly had been sleeping, which I didn't know, otherwise I would have been quieter.

"I'm going to have dinner with a friend." I said being down to her level.

"Are you coming back?" She asked

"Of course, but I'll probably see you in the morning so we can go out and get breakfast. Would you like that?" She nodded with a small smile. "Alright, but you have to go bed now. And if you close your eyes and go to sleep," I snapped my fingers, "Just like that it'll be morning, okay?" She smiled again, nodding and gave me a hug.

"Goodnight, Aunt Lizzie" She said

"Goodnight, Kitten" I said kissing her on the cheek before saying in a soft order, "Now go to bed" She gave me quick kiss on my cheek before walking back into her room.

"Night, Laura." I said walking out the door

"Have fun on your date." She called, closing the door

"It's not a date!" I yelled but she had already shut the door. I rolled my eyes playfully and walked over to the elevator, muttering in a growl "She's my sister, I love her" then added "She's my sister; I can't kill her, nope... because I love her." I said glaring at the door of my apartment.

/\_◊_/\

I had taken a cab to the restaurant because there was no way I could have rode on my motorcycle in this dress and I had no idea where that place was. It had to be new.

As I walked in I immediately spotted Bruce leaving so I ducked my head down in hopes he wouldn't see me.

"Lizzie?" I heard him call, reminding me that I have the worse luck.

I turned around and said "Mr. Wayne"

He seemed stunned by my appearance and at the same time, nervous.

"Hi" He said, and I lightly chuckled. He always knew how to start a conversation.

"Hi" I replied back and then eyed him funny when I realized his was soaked from head to toe. "What are you doing?" I asked

"Uh, just swimming here" He said, pointing passed me.

"In a restaurant...?" I asked still eyeing him, before giving him another glance over. Deep down, I wanted to laugh but I held back.

He chuckled lightly saying "Yeah..." There was only a few seconds of awkward silence before adding, "You look amazing by the way." He said trying to change the subject and gave me a glance over before smiling.

I return the smile, "Thank you"

"So how are things?" He asked

"Same and you...?" I asked, feeling tension rise. Or maybe it was just me...

"Same" He responded, still smiling at me. "So I haven't seen you at work..." He started

"I'm sorry you could tell since you're so busy with..." My eyes drifted to the two, no doubt models, dates he had with him when I saw him leaving. "Swimming" I added instead of using the _first_ word that came to mind.

He dropped his head slightly, "Lizzie, I know what you think of me but all of- all this... it's- it's not me. It's... Inside, I am... I am more."

"Come on, Bruce. Come on." I heard one of the models calling then the other added, "Bruce, we have some more hotels for you to buy"

Bruce sighed, his eyes drifting, realizing what those girls said was helping his point.

"Bruce, _I know_ that this isn't you but what do you expect people to believe when you act like it is?" I said softly before looking back when I heard my name being called.

"Elizabeth, oh good you made it." Ted said as he approached the two of us. Ted immediately places his hand on my left side while he stood on my right. It was like a loving-but protective- gesture he does when I'm talking to another guy. I noticed, however briefly, that Bruce glared at his hand but quickly removed the look from his eyes.

"Hi, we haven't met" Bruce said, after clearly his throat. "I'm-" Before he could finish, Ted cut in.

"Bruce Wayne, I know. It's good to have back, Mr. Wayne." Ted replied.

"Thank you and you can call me Bruce." He replied

"Of course, you were gone an awfully long time, I hope everything was okay." He said casually, but I knew that look in Ted's eyes. He was up to something.

"Everything was to be expected" Bruce said but it really wasn't an answer. "And you are...?"

"Ted Grant, sorry I don't know where my manners went." He said, glancing at me with a chuckle.

I lightly chuckled in response, but I knew he knew I wasn't amused.

"Ted Grant?" Bruce said, "I think I've heard of you."

"Well, that's to be expected, we did go to Princeton at the same time." I stared at Ted for a moment, stunned at this new information.

"Oh, that's right." Bruce said, nodding.

"I didn't know that" I said playing nice, "Why didn't I know that?" I said, giving Ted the look.

"Never came up." He replied casually. Ted checked his watch suddenly before saying, "Oh, we better go; don't want them giving our table away." He joking and this was his ticket out.

"Right, well, it was nice meeting you." Bruce said to Ted then looked at me as Ted began to pull me along. "Goodnight Lizzie"

"Goodnight, Mr. Wayne" I said then turning with Ted as we walked on, leaving Bruce in the doorway of the hotel. "You never told me you knew Bruce Wayne."

"You never asked" Ted casually responded receiving a glare from me.

/\_◊_/\

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me you knew Bruce." I said half-throughout dinner.

"I'm sorry, it just never came up."

"How about when I told you I worked for him?"

"You never told me you worked for him." Ted stated

"Probably because I thought you already knew. I know you have tabs on me." I said

"Alright, fine, I knew you worked for him but you never talked about him so I think it was important to mention."

"I still can't believe you went to Prince-" I stopped myself when a memory came back. "Wait a second... you are such a liar." I said

"What are you talking about?" He said playing innocent.

"You went to Harvard, not Princeton."

"No, I went to Princeton."

"No" I said dragging out the word. "I specifically remember you talking about going to Harvard because that's where got your law degree." I said and when he was going to deny it again I added "And that's also where you met Cassandra Cartland."

"Ah, the crazy woman" Ted commented

"Ah-ha, you admit it" I said, "I was right" I said proudly then added "As always."

He just chuckled, "Yes, you're right, I lied but let's not talk about that right now."

"Yeah, we can talk about it later. So what did find out about my "prank caller"?" I asked, taking a sip of my wine. I had barely touched it while I ate my dinner- grilled tilapia, my favorite.

"Not much actually. Just that it by someone in Arkham City and by the time I got to the address, no one was there but I think I found the disposable phone."

"Okay, where is it?" I asked

"I'm having a friend of mine check it out for me. I'll let you know when he gets results." I nodded, "In the meantime, just keep a look out. If you feel like someone's watching you, trust that feeling and go with your instincts."

"I always do" I replied smoothly, taking another sip of my wine. There was a minute of silence before I remember something. "Hey have you ever heard those rumors about the sewers?" I asked

"Um, which ones...?" He asked

"There's more than one?" I questioned

"Yeah, there's one about the alligators and then some people have even claimed that they saw what looked like a penguin-shaped man." Ted said but I could tell by his voice he thought it was nonsense. "Crazy, right...?"

"I guess" I replied, my eyes drifting as I went deep in thought.

"Elizabeth?" Ted said causing me to make eye contact.

"Hm...?"

"You don't believe them, do you?" He asked

"Well, you know me. I believe thing when I see them with my own eyes."

"Well, hopefully that will never happen." I just nodded, silently and Ted caught the look in my eyes. "Elizabeth, you can't go down in the sewers" He said

""Don't go here! Don't go there" When did you turn into my father?"

"It's dangerous, Elizabeth" He said

"I'm not scared, Ted" I said firmly, leaning forward slightly.

"And that's what makes it's dangerous for you." He said, "Everyone is scared of something"

"I'm not" I said, "What should I be scared of? Imaginary alligators that swim in the sewers or little penguins that wobbles around? You're right, it sounds terrifying."

I said and ended with a mocking tone of fear.

Ted just sighed and became quiet for a moment. "Okay, fine." He said, "You do whatever you want, you always have." He stated standing up, throwing some money on the table to pay the bill, "But try not to get yourself killed in the process"

"What makes you think _I_ can be killed?" I asked, somewhat arrogantly.

"What makes you think _you _can't?" He retorted with a firm look before walking off, in almost a storm.

I sighed heavily, and when I glanced around I saw that a couple, in a table over, was staring at me. "Can I help you with something?" I growled my eyes staring at them fiercely. They quickly looked away, "That's what I thought." I gulped the remaining alcohol in my glass before grabbing my coat off the seat then leaving the restaurant.

/\_◊_/\

As I walked down the street, I could help but muttered unholy words under my breath. Ted had no right to tell me what to do. Why does everyone want to tell me what to do? Do they think they know what's best for me? Of course they don't. No one knows what's best for me except me.

I continued walking down the street and not long, I realized I had literally walked into the Narrows, which divides Gotham from Arkham.

I never meant to walk here but since I did, might as well have a look around.

I've never spent much time in the Narrows; it wasn't my type of place. For one, there are no jewelry stories and two, there are no apartments, not any to my standards that is.

Since I was already here, what would be the harm in checking out those rumors that wonder around the sewers?

* * *

**A/N: So whatcha think?**

**Oh and I don't know about ya'll but during the Ted and Lizzie scenes, I could not stop laughing.**

**And POP QUIZ! I'm gonna start doing this every once in a while. Who is Ted Grant and what is his relationship with "Selina Kyle"? Did you already recognize his name or did you have to Google him? Let me know in a comment below, I'm excited to read all your answers and also tell me what you think of him and should he be a recurring character?**

**PLEASE DON'T FORGET TO LEAVE A REVIEW! :P **


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